The Fairies of Fairy Tail
by TheAnimeFicWriter
Summary: During their off-time, the Fairy Tail members embark on some interesting jobs with interesting people. Some times, there is action and some times, there is romance. Who will know?
1. Into the Flaming Skies Chapter 1

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 1

Wendy's Request

**Note: **This is my first Fairy Tail story so try not to be too hard on me. I've been meaning to write one for a while, but I've never had the time to sit down and seriously get into the story. I still don't know the schedule I'll do for this story so I'll be sure to keep you guys updated. That aside, I hope you guys it.

Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Grey, and Wendy have just finished their job against Nirvana and are now returning to the guild. Compared to the others, Erza was the most troubled about returning for she had to say goodbye to Jellal. She knew it was bound to happen, but she never wanted to experience it for herself.

Wendy, also, experienced some losses. She lost her guild: Caitshelter and now has been taken in by the members of Fairy Tail. She was quiet the entire trip back to the guild. She didn't really know what to say to them on the way back. The other four were so chatty that Wendy simply decided to listen in on their conversations. Even Carla didn't say anything. When they returned, she was completely captivated. The guild was so lively and everyone looked so happy. The place was huge, unlike anything back at Caitshelter. She couldn't help but let out a smile when she saw the look of the guild.

"Hi there, what's your name?"

"W-Wendy," she said nervously.

"Hey Mira-san."

"Hey you guys. I'm glad to hear that you guys made it back safely."

"Thanks, it did get pretty intense at some points."

"So I'm guessing we're getting a new member?"

"Yep, she helped us out a lot against the Oracion Seis, but then her guild apparently disappeared into thin air so she's now with us."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Well, our master is right over there if you want to go introduce yourself." Mira turned her body and pointed at Makarov. Wendy leaned over and was immediately shocked. She saw that he was a small, old man and felt better about herself.

"Hey Wendy, we'll be over there when you're finished with the master." She nodded and the rest of the group went to their usual table. When they parked at their table, Natsu couldn't help but watch Wendy to make sure she was alright. He knew that she was uncomfortable, but he wanted things to transition smoothly for her.

As she was left alone, she slowly made her way to Makarov. As she walked closer and closer, she started to feel frightened of him. Although he was an old man, he kind of had a mean look to him. It felt like an eternity, but she finally made her way to Makarov. She stood in front of him and felt like an ant. He was a top the counter and his eyes were closed with his arms crossed.

"U-Um, my name is Wendy and I would like to j-join Fairy Tail?" He heard her voice and smiled.

"Wendy Marvell. You were involved with the Nirvana conflict right?" She nodded nervously and he opened his eyes. "You lost your guild too?" She nodded again with tears in her eyes. "I am so sorry for your loss. Just know that we here at Fairy Tail will always be here for you. You are one of us now." He pulled out the Fairy Tail mark and stamped it on her right shoulder. Her face immediately lit up with a smile.

"I… I'm officially a part of Fairy Tail. Thank you so much." Makarov gave her a smile and she ran off to meet the rest of the members of Fairy Tail. At first, she was shy, but after a few people, she slowly got the hang of it. Everyone was so nice to her which only made it easier for her to make the transition.

Once she met everyone, she walked back to Natsu's table. However, she had a motive this time. She remained silent with them, but this time, she was going to change. She quietly walked up to Natsu and poked his shoulder.

"Hey Wendy, you meet everyone yet?" She nodded and looked at the ground. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Um, can you come with me?"

"S-Sure. Happy, I'm gonna go out for a second. Don't hog all the food to yourself."

"Aye sir!" His mouth was already filled with food.

"Wendy?!"

"Carla, can you stay here? I'll be fine. I'll be with Natsu-san." She grabbed Natsu's hand and dragged him out of the guild.

They walked through town and Natsu wanted to know what was up. She didn't respond. She just said that she needed his help and nothing else. He didn't complain. He liked going on jobs so this fine with him. He just wanted to know the details of what was happening. After a few minutes, they made their way into a huge open grassland and Wendy let go of his hand.

"So what's going on Wendy? You seem kind of different. I know you lost your guild, but I promise, we'll make this your new home." She walked a feet in front of him before she stopped and turned around.

"Natsu-san, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"C-Can you teach me to be a real Dragon Slayer?" He was caught off guard.

"What do you mean? You are a real Dragon Slayer. You helped us out so much during the Nirvana conflict."

"Eh, I don't really know what I did. It just happened. I want to be like you. I want to embrace the full power of a Dragon Slayer so I can be helpful to my friends." Natsu walked towards Wendy and knelt down in front of her, putting his hand on her head.

"You are a Dragon Slayer, Wendy. Don't forget that. But, if you do want me to help you out, I'd be more than willing." Wendy's face lit up and Natsu ran to the other side of the field. "Alright, hit me with whatever you got!"

"Eh! That's what I wanted your help on. I don't know any offensive attacks."

"Then how did you destroy that lacrima at Nirvana?"

"I… I used my breath."

"Okay, then hit me with that."

"But I don't want to hurt you."

"Trust me, you won't. Come on Wendy, I'm waiting." He closed his eyes and opened his arms. Wendy was a little hesitant. She didn't want to let Natsu down, but she didn't want to hurt him so she did her best to concentrate. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Tenryuu no HOUKO!" A blast of wind erupted from Wendy and traveled to Natsu. However, only his clothes were bothered. He remained where he was for the blast of wind wasn't what he was expecting at all. He opened his eyes and saw Wendy drop to the floor and start to cry. "I can't do it. I just can't."

"It's alright." Natsu put his hand on Wendy's shoulder and she looked up.

"But I did it at Nirvana."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You'll get it in time." He stuck out his hand and she grabbed it, returning to her feet. "When I was with Igneel, he asked me to do things I knew were impossible, but he kept telling me that I could and eventually it happened. You just have to believe in yourself and stay strong."

"But how?"

"Hm… You're power comes from the sky right?" She nodded her head. "Then that makes it easy. Everything around you is a power source. You have to feel the air around you and transform it into whatever you want. Here, try this." Natsu stood in front of Wendy. "Spread your legs apart and get low to the ground. Okay, now close your eyes and feel; only feel the air around you. Concentrate only on that." He paused and allowed her to take it all in. he watched as she slowly calmed herself to the point where she was motionless. "Alright, now just take nice, long breaths in and out."

"Okay." She slowly took in the air around her and then slowly blew it back out. Natsu continued to remain silent and watch her closely. As she continued to breath, the air around her slowly started to flow in and out of her body. Natsu saw the streaks of air traveling around him and was starting to get excited. It was working.

"Okay, now slowly let out one more breath and open your eyes." She let out that breath and opened her eyes to see Natsu with a huge smile in front of her. "Did you feel it?"

"Kinda."

"That's good, you're making progress. For me, I use the heat from my body and the heat around me to amplify my breath. It's much harder than what you have to do, but when you get it, it's a piece of cake. Watch." Natsu took a few steps back and got into his stance. He took his few breaths and unleashed his flame. "Karyuu no HOUKO!" Incredibly, a huge blast of fire was launched into the air and Wendy was captivated by the sight.

"Wow, Natsu-san, you're amazing."

"Haha, thanks. Alright, you try now."

"Eh?!"

"Come on." He walked back to Wendy and stood in front of her. "Just do what I told you. The air and sky are your weapons. Just feel it, but make sure to aim straight forward." Her face had the look of question, but Natsu reassured her that everything was going to be fine. Step by step, Wendy followed his directions to the point. After a few seconds, she took one more huge breath in. Now, Natsu's eyes were wide open for he knew it was working and braced himself for the impact.

"Tenryuu no HOUKO!" Out of nowhere, a huge blast of wind came right at Natsu and he took the entire thing. When Wendy opened her eyes, she was completely shocked. She saw Natsu a few hundred feet away from her and the grass in front of her was fluttering through the air. "Natsu-san!" She ran to him and picked him up off the ground. "I'm so sorry."

"No, no. I told you that it's fine. That was incredible."

"Really? It did feel different than before though."

"That's good." Natsu pointed at her heart. "You're power comes from here and everywhere else. You're possessive power no one can match, not even me. You are THE Sky Dragon Slayer. Your power is limitless. I hope you realize this soon because you'll do great things." Wendy started to tear up and leapt at Natsu, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smiled and hugged her back. Not too far away, Happy and Carla were watching them.

"Wendy." Carla started to tear up.

"Carla, would you like to hug too?"

"Why would I do that," she asked as she wiped the tears from her face.

"Well, they're doing it so I thought that we should too."

"Keep dreaming." She turned around and flew back to the guild.

"Wait, Carla! Do you want a fish?!"

End of Chapter 1


	2. FS Chapter 2

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 2

Her First Day

**Note: **So I think I'll release these every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday or Sunday, depending on how ahead or how behind I am. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy another chapter.

The next day, Wendy and Carla made their way back to the guild and not no surprise, the place was bustling again. Even though it was early in the morning, nearly everyone was there acting as if there was a non-stop party. She walked through the guild and said hi to everyone she met from yesterday. Once that over, she walked to Natsu's table. However, he wasn't there; none of them were there. She quickly walked to the service table and talked to Mirajane.

"Um, Mira-san, where's Natsu?"

"Oh, he and the usual group went on a job. They should be back pretty soon."

"Oh, okay." She dipped her head to the ground and returned to the table. She sat down and put her head in her arms. Natsu-san, why didn't you tell me about this job? I could have gone and helped you guys.

"Hi, what's your name?" Wendy looked up and saw a new face.

"I'm Wendy, and this is Carla. Who are you? I didn't see you yesterday." She chuckled.

"I'm Juvia, and Juvia apologizes for that. Juvia was out on a job. Are you new here?"

"Yeah," she said nervously.

"May Juvia join you?"

"Sure." Juvia gave her a smile and sat down in front of her. As Wendy sat there not saying a word, Juvia decided to be a little nosy.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

"Come on, Juvia is all ears. Juvia would usually be with Grey-sama, but he went out for a job without Juvia. Grey-sama, why are you so mean?" She immediately stopped herself before she went too far with that. "Juvia apologizes. What's wrong?"

"It's Natsu-san. He taught me a lot of things yesterday and I really wanted to help him out, but then I found out that he went on a job without me." She put her head back in her arms and remained silent.

"Well, it could be that he's looking out for you." Wendy raised her head in wonder. "You started here, right?" She nodded her head. "Then Natsu probably doesn't want to rush you. From what you told Juvia, it really seems that Natsu cares about you." Juvia put her on Wendy's head and smiled. "Don't worry, your time will come." Just then, the front door slammed open and a familiar voice broke through the guild.

"We're back."

"Welcome back. I hope it was a success."

"You bet…"

"Natsu-san!" Wendy leapt at Natsu and hugged him around the waist.

"Hey Wendy, what's up?"

"I was just waiting for you guys."

"Oh yeah, sorry about not bringing you. Erza made us go on this one and it was definitely something I wasn't expecting." He winked at her.

"Grey-sama, you're back!" Juvia leapt at Grey, but he managed to dodge her attack, causing her to slam her face into the nearby wall.

"Um, Natsu-san, can we go out again and work on some more things?"

"Sure, let's go!"

"Hey, Salamander, you don't mind me joining you right? I think it's time for another bout."

"Uh, actually, it was just going to be me and Wendy."Gajeel got up and walked to Natsu, putting his arm around his neck.

"Come on, you scared you might lose." Natsu closed his eyes and tightened his fist. He slammed his forehead into Gajeel's as his body lit on fire.

"You ain't got any place to talk. You lost last time and nothing's gonna change."

"Alright then, prove right now." Without another word, the two stormed off without Wendy. She raised her hand to try and stop them, but it was no use. They were too far gone to try. She dropped her head, but then, someone grabbed her shoulder which made her look back up.

"Why don't you follow them? I know it's just useless fighting, but you might learn something."

"Erza-san?"

"Go on." She smiled and ran off to catch up with the other two.

When she arrived at the field, Natsu and Gajeel were already going at like madmen. So much was going on that it was so hard to track. Natsu's flames were filling the skies and Gajeel's attack was somehow breaking through.

"What is that?"

"That's iron." She turned around to another person she didn't know.

"Um, who are you?"

"I'm Levy. Are you in Fairy Tail?" Wendy turned and showed her the mark. "Awesome, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of magic do you use?"

"D-Dragon Slayer magic."

"Eh?! You... You're a Dragon Slayer?!" She turned back around to watch the fight in sadness.

"I know. I don't look like a Dragon Slayer."

"No, no, it's not that. It's just that you're so young. So that's why you're watching Natsu and Gajeel fight."

"Yeah, Natsu taught me some things yesterday and I was hoping we could continue that today, but then stuff happened and he ended fighting him. What kind of magic does Gajeel use?"

"Gajeel's a Dragon Slayer too. He's the Iron Dragon Slayer."

"Ooo." Wendy continued to watch in awe. She didn't really know what was happening, but she did know that those two were incredible. No one was giving the other room to breathe and they were constantly on the offensive.

"You see how Natsu's covered in fire? That's a defensive strategy. Since he's the Fire Dragon Slayer, he can coat his body in fire, permitting others from touching him."

"But it doesn't look like it's working."

"That's because those rules don't apply to other Dragon Slayers. Gajeel is doing the same thing. He can coat his body in iron, making him tougher than normal. By the way, what kind of Dragon Slayer are you?"

"The Sky Dragon Slayer."

"Wow. That must be a beautiful sight to see." Wendy blushed. The two girls continued to watch the fight. Both Dragon Slayers were relentless. They fought harder and harder as time went on. Wendy was constantly captivated by what the two guys could do. She was seeing things that looked impossible. Levy looked at Wendy and saw that she was really enjoying herself. Finally, the battle came down to the wire.

"Karyuu no…"

"Tetsuryuu no…"

"Tekken!"

"Houko!" Wendy opened her mouth and prepared for the spectacle to come. However, nothing happened. Gajeel used his breath, but nothing came out. Natsu charged Gajeel with his fist attack, but ended up crashing into the ground.

"Looks like we're out of magic. Until next time, Salamander."

"Aye sir." Gajeel walked off with multiple bruises on his body. Levy saw him make his way back to the guild and decided to follow him. On the other hand, Natsu was lying on the ground, staring at the sky.

"Natsu-san!" He turned his head to see Wendy running at him.

"Wendy, were you watching the whole thing?"

"Yeah, you were incredible."

"Haha thanks. Sorry about not teaching you anything today. I got caught up in the moment and I lost track of what I was doing."

"It's okay. I actually learned some things while watching you guys."

"Really? Nice." She put her hands over Natsu's body and they started to glow. She was using her healing powers.

"Feel better?"

"Much, thanks." Wendy picked him off the floor and the two made their way back to the guild.

When they returned to the guild, everything was as normal as could be. Natsu was arguing with Grey over something really stupid. Cana was stuffing her face with booze and everyone else was doing their usual thing. Wendy didn't have her usual thing yet so she didn't really know what to do. As the night grew late, she decided to head back home. She said good night to the group and left.

A few hours later, the rest of the guild decided that it was late and went home. Natsu and Happy, unfortunately, were kicked out and didn't have anywhere to go. They decided to go to Lucy's house since she never cared if they were there.

As they were walking through the city and to Lucy's apartment. Natsu felt an odd wind coming from an usual direction. It only gusted once every few seconds, but when it did, it was pretty powerful so he decided to try and find the source. After a couple of minutes, he came back to the same field he and Wendy worked at. He crouched low and tried to see if this was the right place.

When he got a good enough view, he saw Wendy and Carla out on the field working. Wendy was producing some pretty intense wind masses, but he didn't really know what she was trying to do. He could barely hear the two talking, but he didn't care about that. He paid attention closely and just watched.

Wendy stood there motionless as the air around her started to surround her body. From Natsu's view, it looked pretty impressive. The longer she stood there, the more air engulfed her body and eventually, the ball of wind started to lift off the ground.

"Whoa." Natsu stood up a little more for this was starting to get interesting. The ball of wind went up higher and higher until it started to fly around the place. As it did, he couldn't see Wendy's body inside, but he knew that she was in there. It only lasted a few seconds until the ball of wind dissipated and Wendy crashed into the ground.

"Wendy, are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me. I have to get this. I'll get keep going all night if I have to."

"Hey, would you like some help?" Wendy turned around to see Natsu and Happy making their way over to her.

"Natsu-san." Her face lit up with happiness.

"I can see you've already improved a lot."

"Eh, I don't know."

"Come on. You can't be so hard on yourself, Wendy. Your breath already knocked me back, and let me tell you, that's not easy to do. So, what are you working on now?"

"Well, when I was watching your fight, I saw that you made your body light on fire and Levy told me that was a defensive strategy or whatever. I… I kind of wanted to learn how to do that."

"Okay, there's no hurt in trying. Actually, this 'strategy' is more of an instinct thing. For me, it only happens when I'm truly in the moment of something. Like Levy said, it's for defense. It allows us to be stronger against our opponents who are not Dragon Slayers. If you can master this technique, no enemy will be able to touch you."

"Well, now you make it sound harder than it looks."

"Well, I'm not gonna lie to you. It is pretty hard, but I'll tell you everything I can. It's mostly all mentality. When you feel the need to do this, you have to clear your mind of everything, even your opponent. By doing this, it allows you to be one with your element. Making your body accessible to your element gives you that defensive thing or whatever."

"Can I try?"

"Uh, I don't know if this is something you can try out of the blue."

"I, at least, want to try."

"Alright." Natsu walked a few feet away from her. "Okay, I know this may be hard to do, but imagine that I'm your enemy and you're desperately losing. Now, try to do what I told you."

Wendy closed her eyes and tried to flush out everything. The only thing she thought of was the sky and wind. Slowly but surely, the air around them started to surround Wendy's body. This time, it happened much faster and it looked much stronger.

"Alright, I'm gonna attack. Just stay strong." Natsu started to run at her and the wind was still going strong. This was actually going to work. He brought his fist behind his head and was about to swing when suddenly, the wind disappeared and Wendy screamed out loud. Natsu quickly leapt into the air and avoided hitting Wendy. When he finally returned to the ground, he ran to her. "Are you okay?"

"How is this possible? It didn't feel like I did anything."

"You were doing just fine." She crashed into his body and hugged him as tight as she could. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "Like I said, it's a mental thing. Once you find what you're looking for, you'll be able to do."

"Natsu-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'll ever be able to be a real Dragon Slayer?" Natsu let go of Wendy and knelt down in front of her. He lifted her chin up and they looked each other in the eye.

"Wendy, you are a Dragon Slayer. I know there's all this talk about Dragon Slayers having to be the strongest mages in the world, but we all started out like weaklings, thinking that we could never do anything. It just takes time. I promise." He smile and hugged her again. She put her arms around him and tried to hold back the tears.

"Natsu-san, can you take me with you on your next job?" He pulled away.

"How about this? I'll find a job where you and I can go. Just us two. Sound good."

"Okay." Wendy finally smiled as Natsu stood up and walked Wendy back to the Fairy Tail Suites.

Once she was there, he and Happy made their way to Lucy's apartment. They quietly climbed through the window and noticed that the lights were off. They looked at each other and wondered if she was even home yet. A few seconds later, the lights flashed on and Lucy walked out in only her towel.

"Hey Lucy."

"NATSU!"

End of Chapter 2


	3. FS Chapter 3

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 3

Dragon Slayers

The next day started like the last. Wendy went into the guild, only to be let down that Natsu and the others weren't there. Only this, instead of sitting at the normal table, she sat at the service table. She took her seat and drooped as if nothing in the world could cheer her up.

"Morning Wendy, is everything alright?"

"Hi Mira-san, it's nothing. It's just that I haven't gone on a job yet and I'm starting to feel like I'm useless around here."

"Oh don't think like that. Everyone takes jobs on their own pace. There's no need to feel rushed." Wendy sighed.

"When you get bored, what do you usually do around here?"

"Hm, well you could always go down to our library. There are lots of fun books you could read." Wendy shied away from that for she wasn't really in the mood for reading. "Oh yeah, there are also books on dragons and Dragon Slayers," she whispered and immediately, Wendy's face lit back up. She got on her feet and ran down to the library. Mirajane smiled and watched her as she found the staircase down.

Right from the start, Wendy was in awe. The library was huge. It was literally endless stacks of books on the wall and on the floor. She didn't know where to start. Luckily, there was a directory before she could step into the library. She looked up dragons and Dragon Slayers which said that they were somewhere close by. She looked on the lower shelves and up top until she found some interesting titles. She grabbed them off the shelves and sat down at the table.

_Dragons: The Mightiest of Creatures _was the first book she had. It explained the origins of dragons and what might have been the cause for their disappearance. Back then, Dragons were seen as Gods to humans. They never interfered, but were stronger than anything on this planet. After their disappearance, people started to lose their faith in dragons which caused Dragon Slayers to go on the offensive. And then the rest of the book talked about how a Dragon Slayer came to be.

_The Seven Elite Dragon Slayers _was the next book and right in the front was Natsu. At least, it was the Fire Dragon Slayer. It talked about the brute strength and confidence this dragon has. Igneel, the king of the fire dragon, was considered one of the strongest dragons in history and that his strength was passed down to his Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu. Wow Carla, Natsu's really powerful when it comes to this book."

"Well, naturally. He is a Dragon Slayer." She turned back around and continued to read. More stuff about how Igneel ruled most of the world during his time of existence. As she continued to read, she became more and more interested in the topic of the Fire Dragon Slayer, but what more could she learn when the actual one was a part of Fairy Tail. She breezed through and moved onto the next chapter which gave her kind of a shock.

The Sky Dragon Slayer. It was all about her. She couldn't believe that she was considered one of the elite Dragon Slayers. It took her awhile to read it for she was too overjoyed to concentrate on the book. After a few seconds, she regained her compsure and went back to the book. Grandine, the Sky Dragon, ruled the skies. No one could match her speed or aerial strength. Her relationship was strongest with Igneel. Together, these two dragons were unstoppable.

Wendy pulled away for a second for she couldn't believe what she was reading. The similarities in the dragons and in the Dragon Slayers was incredible. She continued to read. This section talked a lot of about the Sky Dragon's special attributes such as healing powers, but the one thing that caught Wendy's attention was the power of the Sky Dragon. It said that Grandine nearly matched the power of Igneel, both in strength and intelligence.

Although this was great news, she grew saddened for she was thinking about how she could uphold the name of Sky Dragon Slayer. She sighed and moved on to the Iron Dragon Slayer which brought her mind to Gajeel.

That chapter mentioned his extreme durability against foes and his incredible power. It did mention that Metalicana was one of the top dragons, but it didn't give any specifics like it did for Igneel or Grandine. Once she got over that, she browsed through the rest of the book which mentioned the White and Shadow Dragons, but didn't pay attention to detail. As she closed the book, another voice broke through the silence.

"So was this helpful at all?" She turned around to see Mirajane walking down the stairs.

"Kind of. Thank you for telling about this place. It's incredible."

"I know. Master and the masters before were huge fans of knowledge and strived to achieve every bit of knowledge they could so it kind of explains the vast selection we have here. What did you read about?"

"Oh uh, dragons and Dragon Slayers."

"Ooo, fun topic. It's nice having another Dragon Slayer around, especially one that doesn't cause problems like the other two."

"Eh?! You know. How'd you know?"

"Oh, word got around that we got a new Dragon Slayer so yeah. Nothing ever really stays secret in our guild. We're all one big family." She smiled.

"Um, Mira-san, what do you know about Dragon Slayers?"

"Hm, that's a good question." She grabbed a chair and took a seat next to Wendy. "Well, for starters, they are amazing mages. People who cannot be matched in strength or intelligence. Just take Natsu for example. He's got more drive than anyone I've ever seen and Gajeel. He's right on Natsu's tail."

"What about me?"

"Huh?"

"Where do I fit in to all of that?" She looked at Wendy who starting to feel bad about herself. Mirajane put her hand over Wendy's and she looked up at her.

"Everyone is different. Dragon Slayer or not, you'll still be amazing mage. We try our absolute best to be the very best that we can be. It's all up to you. You decided how far you want to go and what kind of mage you want to be." She stood up and started to leave the room. "But I gotta say, Natsu is a really good role model to look up to. I see that he's treating you like a little sister." She smiled and walked back up to the guild. Meanwhile, Wendy's face was all red. Natsu's little sister? She never thought of it that way. However, she wasn't against the thought. He was a genuine person with big brother attributes. She closed the books, returned them to their place, and walked back up to the guild. When she got there, she saw a huge fight happening.

"Hey moron, do you really wanna get beaten like yesterday?"

"What a load of crap! My fire could easily melt your iron no problem." Natsu and Gajeel smacked heads.

"How about we prove it right now?"

"Bring it." They slid back and prepared for battle.

"Hold it!" Gray stuck his hands up and walked in between them. "Now, I don't know what this is about, but if anyone is going to beat up anyone, it'll be me beating up that hot-head."

"You've done it now Gray." Gray removed his jacket and prepared to enter the fray along with Natsu and Gajeel. As Wendy continued to watch, all she could see was a puff of smoke moving back and forth across the guild. It was only until the smacked into Erza's table which dissipated the smoke. She stood up and turned around to face the three idiots.

"You guys, knock it off!"

Clink. Clink. Clink. All three were immediately out for the count and Erza went back to eating her strawberry cake. Wendy couldn't help but let out a little laugh as the three guys were on the ground, unconscious. She looked outside and saw that the sun was already down and decided that it was time to head home. As she walked to the front door, Natsu came to and stopped Wendy before she could leave.

"Hey Wendy, no training today?"

"Not today. Thank you though, Natsu-san." She waved goodbye and left the guild.

As she walked home, she remained quiet and didn't say a word to Carla. However, Carla noticed that Wendy was acting stranger than usual so she decided to break the silence.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Carla."

"Hey Wendy, do you like it here, at Fairy Tail?" Wendy waited a little before answering her question.

"Of course. This place is everything I want in a guild. The people are so kind and it really cares for its members. Plus, Natsu-san is in this guild so how couldn't I like it?"

"Well, I mean do you like it? Not going on jobs and being left alone every day."

"Carla, it's not like it'll always be like this. Natsu-san promised to find us a job where we can go on it together so I'm making sure that I'm ready for when it happens."

"Mmm." This made Carla quiet for the rest of the walk back. When they returned to Fairy Tail Suites, there was a note on the door. Wendy ripped it off the wall and read it out loud.

"Help. We need help from Dragon Slayers to eliminate this threat upon our city." She read the location and the pay. The pay was substantial. Was this the job that Natsu-san was talking about?

"Wendy look, there's something on the back." She turned the paper around and saw more writing on it.

"Hey Wendy, I finally found one. I hope you're ready. Meet us at the guild tomorrow morning and we'll begin our journey together. Natsu." Wendy closed her eyes and started to squeal. This was the job Natsu-san was talking about. A job where they could take it on together. She opened the door and quickly ran to her room. She posted it up on her wall and continued to stare at it for the rest of the night. "Ooo Carla, I'm so excited. Are you ready to go on an adventure?"

"Are you?"

"What do you mean? I know I'm ready, and if I'm not, for some reason, Natsu-san has my back." She jumped onto her bed and started to wiggle around like crazy. She was so excited for tomorrow that it was nearly impossible for her to sleep. All she could think about was not letting Natsu down.

End of Chapter 3


	4. FS Chapter 4

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 4

The Long Awaited Job

The sun rose on a new, beautiful day. Wendy immediately felt the warmth of the sun and jumped out of bed as quickly as she could. She ran to the bathroom to get and ready and then ran back to get packed. She didn't really know what she was packing for, but she just felt that she needed to. Carla was watching her the entire time and couldn't help but laugh at Wendy's sense of urgency even though Natsu wouldn't even leave without her.

After a couple of minutes, her bag was all packed and she had a huge smile on her face. She ran out of her room, through the suites, and out the front door to the guild. All throughout her run, that smile never left her face. This was by far the happiest day of her life and there was no way anything was going to ruin it for her.

When she made it to the guild, Natsu was already outside waiting for her. He had a backpack on everything. It seemed that Wendy packed accordingly.

"Natsu-san, I'm here!" He turned around and waved to her.

"Hey Wendy, I didn't expect you to get here so early."

"You said get here in the morning right?" He chuckled and patted her on the head.

"Alright, we'll get going soon. I'm just waiting on Mira to approve our request." Right after he said that, she walked out and handed him back the job description.

"Alright, everything's all good. Good luck."

"Thanks. We should be back soon." She looked at Wendy.

"Be sure to have tons of fun on your very first job," she said with a smile.

"I will. Bye Mira-san." And just like that, the two were off running through the streets. Once they cleared the town, they stopped running. However, Wendy stopped in her tracks and looked back one more time.

"You ready?" She closed her eyes and smiled and gave him a simple nod. "Awesome, um, I hope you don't mind if we walk since I can't handle transportation very well."

"Okay, that's fine. More bonding time, I guess."

"I like the way you think. Come on, let's go." They waved goodbye to the guild and headed off on their very first adventure together.

As they walked, Wendy got to see so many new things. Huge mountain ranges, beautiful lakes and grasslands; everything caught her attention which made it so much better for her. For Natsu, he was enjoying it just as much as any other job he's been on. To him, something about Wendy made him feel more at ease than any other person in the guild. It was probably her age and her pursuit to become someone in the world.

According to the job description, the town was about 8 hours away. Natsu told Wendy that they weren't going to get there that day, but it didn't discourage her at all. After about 2 hours, Wendy started to shift her attitude. She started off optimistic and cheerful to gloomy and tired.

"Natsu-san, how much further? I can't walk anymore."

"We're gonna try to go as far as we can until sunset." Wendy looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was about 45 degrees from the horizon and she sighed out loud. "Why don't you get Carla to carry you for a bit? I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind."

"No, I don't want to do that to Carla." Natsu stopped to give Wendy a little bit of a rest. He checked where he was and where the sun was in the sky. He then looked forward to see how about far they could until the day was over.

"Hm, let's do this. We'll make it to that lake and that'll be it for the day." Wendy stood up from the ground and tried to find the lake that Natsu was talking about, but couldn't find it.

"What lake?"

"This lake." Natsu grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up onto his shoulders. "You see it now?" She put her hands above her eyes to concentrate her vision when a huge lake finally came into view.

"Yeah, it's huge."

"Alright, let's go. Hold on tight."

"Hold on… Wwwaahhhh!" Natsu held onto her legs and started to dash towards the lake. He totally caught Happy and Carla off guard which made them fall behind a bit. As he continued to run, Wendy could feel the cool air hit her face. She put her arms in the air and started to laugh. "Haha, faster Natsu-san."

"Aye sir." Incredibly, he got faster and it only took them a few minutes until they finally made it to the lake. They dropped their things and relaxed for the rest of the day. Wendy and Carla decided to rest while Natsu and Happy jumped into the lake for some fun time.

"Should you guys be doing that? We've been walking all day!"

"Relax Carla. How about you come join us? I'll catch a fish for you."

"I already told you that I don't like fish." Happy and Natsu disregarded Carla's comment and continued to play until the sun finally hit the horizon. They got and returned to their normal clothes. Of course, for dinner, they had fish. The only one who had an exception to this was Carla so they had to find other things for her.

As the night grew late and the stars started to come out, Natsu started a fire and took rest against a tree. Happy and Carla lost their strength and knocked out for the night. Wendy sat right across the fire form Natsu. Even though half their group was already asleep, Natsu and Wendy were still wide awake. They continued to chat for hours.

"So were you close to your dragon?"

"Of course, he was a father to me. I remember everything he taught me. What about you?"

"I don't really have a lot of memories of Grandine. All I know is that she was an amazing dragon."

"Yeah, aren't they all?"

"Um Natsu-san, I was reading a book yesterday and it said that the fire Dragon Slayer is supposedly the strongest of all Dragon Slayers. Is that true?" Natsu became flustered for no one's ever said something like that to him. He didn't even know how to answer.

"Uh well, I don't know about that. I've already met 4 other Dragon Slayers and they're all pretty scary to me."

"Wow, that's incredible."

"You know, I'll never understand us Dragon Slayers."

"What do you mean?"

"We're just odd people. Something about us makes us completely different from the others. From what I've seen, we're all very powerful, I gotta say that, but there's more to it. We all something that we want. It isn't just about power. It's more, something that I feel none of us will achieve, but spend our whole lives trying to."

"Natsu-san."

"Sorry, what am I saying? Hey, you need to get some rest. We got another big day tomorrow."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry. I'll keep watch over the camp. I'll be fine."

"Okay." Wendy got up and walked to Natsu. She sat down next to him and laid her head on his lap. He was surprised at first, but didn't let it affect him. "Good night Natsu-san." He smiled and rubbed her head.

"Good night Wendy." She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. Now, it was just him. Luckily, Happy woke up a few minutes after Wendy knocked out. "Happy, you're awake?"

"Yeah, I had this really great dream about this fish I caught, but then I accidently closed my eyes."

"Good job."

"Say Natsu…"

"What is it Happy?"

"Do you like Wendy?"

Immediately, "Eh?! What are you thinking? Happy, you're being immature."

"What, ever since she joined the guild, you've been all soft towards her. What's the motive?" he nudged Natsu's shoulder.

"There is no motive. Come on, grow up." He looked down at Wendy who at such a peaceful face on as she slept and he smiled. "She's like the little sister I never had. She's strong-hearted, sweet, and determined. When I look at her, it's like I'm watching me from back when I was a kid. I know she'll go far. I think she'll even surpass me."

"Okay, I was just wondering. Good night Natsu."

"Night Happy." Once again, Happy crashed for the night and Natsu stayed up and watched the camp. However, unknowing to him, Wendy overheard the entire conversation between him and Happy and she couldn't help but smile for she felt the exact same way about him.

As the night drew on, Natsu's eyes started to feel heavy, but he tried to stay awake. He didn't want anything happening to them so he had to stay on his guard. More time went by and the night was completely silent. It was only when Natsu heard a soft rustling in the bushes behind him. He looked around the tree, but didn't see anything. Then, a small object burst out of the bushes and Natsu watched as it finally settled right in the middle of their camp. It was a grenade.

"Guys, wake up!" He grabbed Wendy in his arms and jumped for Happy and Carla. When he crashed into their bodies, the grenade went off and exploded, causing a huge explosion.

"Hm, probably shouldn't have thrown that, but whatever. We'll find something useful from these travelers. Get rid of this fire and search the place." Suddenly, the fire slowly started to vanish and traveled into Natsu's mouth. "What's happening?" Natsu wiped his mouth and stared down his enemies.

"That was some crappy fire, but thanks for the meal anyway."

"What?! How is that possible?"

"Don't think you're gonna get away with this. We're mages of Fairy Tail so you best be prepared." They all gasped.

"Fairy Tail?! Boss, we should get out of here."

"Don't mind them. Attack!" The small group of men took arms and started to charge them. Natsu looked at Wendy.

"You ready?" She nodded. "Karyuu no…"

"Tenryuu no…"

"HOUKO!" Blasts of fire and wind were launched at the group of bandits and they were immediately launched into the air and out of their sight.

"Hey, you did it." Wendy was somewhat shocked.

"I did it. I did it!" She started to cheer out loud and her voice echoed through the quiet night.

"That was awesome." Natsu stuck out his hand and the two high-fived. "Alright well I know it's late at night, but I think its best that we get as far as we can. I don't trust this place anymore. Let's grab out things and head out." With that order, they grabbed their bags and left the lake. Even though it was late, that little incursion really livened up the mood which made it easier to get through all that walking.

Another full day of traveling and they finally arrived at the town that requested them. The town was just off the coast of the ocean. It was quite small, but offered a beautiful view of the ocean. When they got there, the town slowly started to crowd them as they made their way to the mayor's building. The large doors opened and out walked the mayor.

"Welcome Fairy Tail mages to the lovely town Seaside. I hope you read the job description carefully for there's no time to explain the boring stuff. We requested Dragon Slayers and we're all assuming that you are them."

"Right. I'm Natsu Dragneel. The Fire Dragon Slayer."

"Uh, I'm Wendy Marvell. The Sky Dragon Slayer." The whole crowd oooed and ahed at the sound of their description."

"Alright, down to business. Now, out town is right next to the ocean, but we obviously are smart enough not to place anything to close to the beach for there's that concern of hide tide. However, even with our smart planning, certain buildings are somehow washed away every night and we wanted to know why. That's where you come in. two strong mages should be able to handle a situation like this."

"Well sure, but…" 

"Alright." The mayor pushed Natsu and Wendy to the beach and left them there. "Good luck and we hope to hear some good news from you guys soon."

The four of them stared out into the ocean for a solid minute. No words were said and no looks were exchanged. They simply stared at the ocean, wondering what could be the reason for this mystery.

End of Chapter 4


	5. FS Chapter 5

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 5

Her First Real Enemy

Natsu and Wendy continued to stare out at the ocean, watching the waves crash into the sand right in front of them. The cool breeze of the ocean made the wait seem less boring and a little more enjoyable. After a few more minutes, Natsu finally broke the silence.

"So are you scared?"

"Huh? Why would you ask that?"

"Well, it's your first job. Aren't you nervous?"

"Uh kinda, but I'm trying not to let it affect me."

"Good. I like that mentality." He turned back to look at the ocean. On the other hand, Wendy was fumbling with her fingers for there was something on her mind that she wanted to talk about. However, she didn't feel that this was the right time since they had to concentrate on their mission yet she did it anyway.

"Um, Natsu-san, do you think…" Suddenly, a huge wave came rumbling towards them and Natsu jumped at Wendy, knocking them both out of the way of the wave. Once they landed on the ground, they looked back up to see a small figure standing on top of the water.

"What is that?" Natsu got up slowly and cautiously. The small figure continued to walk towards them, revealing that it was in fact a human. "Who are you?" The man stepped onto the beach and examined the four of them.

"I think the more important question here is who are you?"

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer."

"I'm Wendy Marvell, the Sky Dragon Slayer." He immediately grew a smirk on his face.

"Hm, Dragon Slayers huh? Well, I guess it's finally time for me to have some fun," he said with a smile.

"Why are you destroying this town?" His smile immediately vanished at the sound of that question.

"Why, you ask? This town shouldn't even be here. This is my land. All of this belongs to me." His arms went into the air, indicating pretty much everything around them. "I'm just taking back what's mine, painfully and slowly."

"You bastard." Natsu's hands lit on fire and he was ready. On the other hand, Wendy was a little hesitant. Something about this guy wasn't right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "You're gonna regret destroying this town." He jumped into the air, entering his battle mode.

"Natsu-san, wait!"

"Karyuu no…" His enemy didn't acknowledge his presence and waved his arm in front of Natsu. "H… Aaahhh!" Out of nowhere, a huge wave crashed into Natsu, which sent his body tumbling back to where he started. "What the heck?"

"Natsu-san, we have to be careful. There's something odd about this guy." He looked at Wendy and then back at his enemy. "Yeah, you're right."

"Since this will be over soon, I'll might as well tell you my name. It won't matter since I won't be seeing you two ever again. My name is Umiko and I'm the great Sea Dragon Slayer." Wendy gasped and opened her eyes wide.

The Sea Dragon Slayer? There wasn't anything about him in the book I read. There shouldn't even be a Sea Dragon Slayer. That doesn't exist. Natsu stood up slowly, wiping off the water from his face.

"Sea Dragon Slayer, huh? No problem. My flame is way stronger than your wimpy water."

"We'll see," he said as he chuckled softly to himself.

"Karyuu no Kouen!"

"Umiryuu no Takanami." With no effort whatsoever, his tidal wave completely brushed away Natsu's attack and he was flummoxed. He did that with such ease. Natsu clenched his fists as tight as he could.

"Don't think you're such a hot shot."

"Of course not. I'm the sea. I'm anything, but hot." His comment angered Natsu even more. He lowered himself to the ground and zoomed right at him.

"Karyuu no Tekken!" His enemy turned his head to see Natsu flying right for him.

"Umiryuu no Uzu." Out of nowhere, a funnel of water encased Natsu's fist and he was unable to move. Umiko saw this and smiled. "Umiryuu no Saikuron."

"Aaahhhhh!" An incredible blast of water smashed into Natsu and sent him flying back into the town. Wendy watched his body fly through the sky and knew she had to do something. She tightened her fists and closed her eyes.

"Tenryuu no…" Umiko turned around and saw the other trying to attack "HOUKO!"

"I don't think so." He aimed his arm at Wendy and a streak of water came flying right at her, knocking her off of her feet and rolling into the ground.

"Wendy!" Carla flew to Wendy's body and she raised her head slowly.

"I-I'm fine."

"We need to get out of here."

"W-We can't."

"Of course you can. I'll send you off with a parting gift. Umiryuu no HOUKO!" Wendy saw water shoot out from his mouth and it came right for her. She grabbed Carla and closed her eyes.

"Wendy!" She looked behind her to see Natsu jumping right for her. He landed and guarded the two from the blast. Immediately on impact, the water exploded as it hit Natsu's back and they were sent flying away from the beach. Scylla watched his enemies depart for they were defeated.

"Dragon Slayers, huh? I expected more." He walked back into the middle of the ocean and vanished without a trace.

The four of them ended up in a nearby forest. The trees around them were completely destroyed from their landing and they didn't know what to do. Their enemy was strong and the worst thing of all was that it was Natsu's absolute weakness. For Wendy, she was still confused. A Sea Dragon Slayer shouldn't exist. There was no information on that.

"Come on guys, we have to get back to that guy." He tried standing up, but immediately fell back onto his stomach.

"Natsu-san, don't move. He hit you pretty hard. I'll help you." She put her hands over his back and started to heal his injuries. "Better?"

"Sort of. Something about his attacks was really strange. It didn't even feel like water." After a few seconds, Wendy finished her healing and Natsu was able to sit up like normal.

"Um Natsu-san, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I wasn't any help to you. I just stood there and did nothing. I'm so sorry." She dropped her head and closed her eyes. Natsu put his hand on her head and she looked back up.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't know this mission was gonna be like this. It was my fault for putting you in a situation like this." He clenched his other fist and pounded it on the ground in anger.

"Natsu," Happy said softly. Natsu parked in from of a tree and leaned on it, thinking about how he was going to defeat someone like this. He defeated Gajeel with a sudden burst of power. He defeated Laxus through sheer determination and strength from his comrades. He defeated Cobra with one loud scream. How does he defeat a Dragon Slayer that uses water? He smacked the back of his head into the tree and covered his eyes.

"Um, Natsu-san, would this be helpful at all?" He uncovered his eyes and saw Wendy holding a book in front of his face.

"What this? _The Seven Elite Dragon Slayers?_"

"I read this before the job and I thought it might be helpful."

"Does it mention anything about that guy?"

"No, that's why I was so confused. There's absolutely nothing about him in there." Natsu opened up the book and started to skim through it. The Fire Dragon Slayer, Sky Dragon Slayer, Iron Dragon Slayer, Lightning Dragon Slayer, Poison Dragon Slayer, White and Shadow Dragon Slayers; nothing about the Sea Dragon Slayer.

"Why isn't he in here?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think the town might have a library?"

"They might. We might as well try." They stood up and walked back into town. They tried not to make a scene so they decided to find it themselves. Luckily, most of the buildings were labeled so it made things a little easier. After a few minutes, they finally the library. It was quite small, but anything would do for them. They opened the door and were not surprised. The selection was probably less than half of what Fairy Tail had. They sighed and walked in. They checked the directory to see if there was anything on Dragons or Dragon Slayers. Thankfully, there was so they rushed to that section to the library.

When they arrived at the section, they were immediately disappointed. That section only had 2 books: _The Power of Dragons and Their Dragon Slayers _and _The Forbidden World of Dragons._ Natsu took the first one and Wendy took the second one. Happy and Carla flew around the rest of the library, searching for anything else that could be helpful to them.

In Natsu's book, it only listed the power and attacks of Dragons and Dragon Slayers. Even though nothing in there was of any help, he checked his surroundings and continued to read the book for helpful tips on fighting.

In Wendy's book, there was so much new information about Dragons and Dragon Slayers that she didn't know about. Their true origin of how a Dragon Slayer first came to be. It even listed dragons that aren't considered in the elite 7. As she continued to read, she came across a chapter that caught her attention entitled: The Fallen. Her eyes vigorously browsed each page, looking for anything that she wanted to see. The more and more she dove into this book, the more she realized that this was what they were looking for.

"Natsu-san, come here. I think you need to see this."

"Whoa, that's incredible. I didn't even know about this."

"Natsu-san!" He dropped his book and ran to Wendy.

"What? I wasn't doing anything. Did you find something?" He looked at Wendy as if nothing happened. Wendy, on the other hand, gave him a dirty look which caused him to trail away from her eyes.

"Anyway, look at this." Natsu sat down next to Wendy and read the book. His eyes read right to left as quick as they could and immediately grew happy.

"Perfect. This is exactly what we need." He dropped his head and continued to read the book. "By some stroke of luck, this Dragon Slayer has no rival. His power can't be matched. However, if there was one who could defeat such a Dragon Slayer such as this, it would be…"

Crash. Boom. The wall of the library exploded and was exposed to the ocean. Natsu covered Wendy with his body and saw that Umiko had returned. He eerily walked into the library and saw the four of them inside.

"Well, what a surprise to see you already. I thought you run home to mommy and daddy, saying this one guy was bullying me."

"Shut up!" Natsu stood in front of Wendy as she stood behind him, hiding the book from sight. Umiko spotted Wendy trying to hide something and walked closer.

"You know, there's this special book that I'm looking for. You two wouldn't have happened to find it, would you?" They didn't respond. As he walked to the right, the stepped the opposite direction keeping the book hidden. By now, he knew what they were trying to do and continued his little act. "Did you two know that Dragon Slayers are the strongest beings on this world?" They remained quiet. "And you do you know who the most powerful Dragon Slayer is?"

"It's the Fire Dragon Slayer!" Everyone's eyes opened wide, especially Wendy's. She didn't mean to shout out something like that, but it ended up happening. Umiko's patience was running low.

"Clever answer, but wrong. It's me." He pointed his arm at them and streak of water came flying at them. They quickly dodged the attack and were separated. As they were on opposite sides of the room, his attention turned towards Wendy. He started to walk towards her, completely ignoring Natsu.

"Hey, you're opponent is me!" Natsu jumped onto his back and Umiko immediately threw him off, back to the other side of the room.

"Little girl, you wanna hand that book to me?" He stuck out his arm and Wendy cowered into the bookshelf behind her. "It would be best to give it to me now." She closed her eyes and stuck her arm out at him, sending a small gust of wind in his face. He closed his eyes and dropped his arm. His patience was gone. He opened his eyes and streaks of water flew right at her, pinning her against the wall. She tried to escape, but water was holding her wrists and legs. He walked up to her and snatched the book from her hand. "I don't like you. I don't like you one bit." He took a step back and launched a huge blast of water at Wendy. The force of this attack broke through the wall and sent her flying out of the library.

"WENDY!" Umiko walked back to the hole in the wall that he came from and looked back at Natsu. His hands were on fire and all of his attention was on Umiko.

"I'd be smart here, Dragon Slayer. It's me or her. Make your pick." This comment made Natsu lessen his fire. It was either helping Wendy or getting the book back. He dropped to his knees and lowered his head. "Good boy." A current swept up to the library and carried Umiko away into the ocean. Natsu stood back up and ran out of the library.

"WENDY!"

End of Chapter 5


	6. FS Chapter 6

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 6

The Forbidden Dragon Slayer

Natsu ran into the nearby forest and looked for Wendy. He shouted out her name, listening for an answer, but there was no response. Happy and Carla scouted the area to look for any sign of her. They checked everywhere around the area, but the darkness of the night made it too difficult to find her. After a couple of minutes, Natsu heard soft rustling near him and searched for that noise.

"Wendy!" He ran to her and knelt down beside her. "Wendy, are you okay?" He picked her up into his arms. She nearly coughed out a gut as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Natsu-san?"

"Wendy, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I was more attentive, we'd still have that book and you wouldn't be in such a poor condition." She coughed again as her arm slowly made its way up to Natsu's face. "What's this?"

"It's… It's from the book. I took the pages that we needed." Natsu's face lit up and he hugged her as tight as he could.

"Wendy, you're the best."

"Natsu-san, I can't breathe."

"Oh sorry, you need to rest." He set her down gently against the tree stump and set up camp. He laid out a fire to keep her warm and started to read the pages.

"Although there are the elite 7, there is also one other Dragon Slayer that is unknown to the outside world. This Dragon Slayer was raised by Aqualogia, king of the seas. This dragon was once a part of the elite group until he revolted against Igneel, the fire dragon. This caused disruption between the orders of things. All 7 seven dragons fought against Aqualogia, but the challenge was tougher than it seemed. It wasn't until Grandine, queen of the skies, entered the battle and slayed Aqualogia. Although Aqualogia is dead, his Dragon Slayer attempts to seek vengeance on the one who killed his master." Natsu and Wendy were speechless. It wasn't a lot of information, but what they had was something they never expected. "So you have some quarrel with this guy?"

"I don't know. This is the first time I've heard this myself. Grandine never mentioned anything about this."

"Yeah, neither did Igneel. Hm, so what's so special about this guy?"

"I don't know."

"So there's me with fire, you with air, Gajeel with iron, Laxus with lightning, and Cobra with poison. I don't know the other two though." Wendy was thinking about who they were, but couldn't remember either.

"Well actually, when I think about it, water does have quite the advantage over the other dragons. Nearly all the dragons you mentioned have a weakness to water. I don't really know about Cobra, but it makes sense. Fire, lightning, and iron all are weak against water, no matter how you look at it."

"So then that's probably why he has something going on with you because Grandine was the one who defeated him. What are you going to do?"

"Eh?! What do you mean? I thought we were in this together."

"Oh, I know. It's just that I don't see me being much help here since he's water and I'm fire. Never once have I seen a situation where fire beat out water." Wendy put her hands on her head and started to groan.

"Why? Why me? I can't do anything. I'm not any help. I'm just a no good, worthless little…" Natsu put his hand on Wendy's head which caused her to stop midsentence.

"No you're not. You are strong and fearless. You just don't know it. I know you'll find yourself in this conflict.

"Natsu-san," she said with tears swelling up. 

"Hey, I got an idea." He ran to his backpack and started to fidget with it.

"What are you doing?"

"Something, trust me, it's a great idea." After a few minutes, Natsu stood up and walked to Happy and Carla. "Can you guys deliver this back to the guild? Try to get it there as soon as possible?"

"Who's it for?" Natsu looked back at Wendy and then turned back around.

"It says it on the package. Just hurry, please."

"Aye sir!" Happy and Carla took flight as the sun slowly started to rise on a new day.

"Natsu-san, what's going on?"

"We're gonna train."

"Train?"

"Yeah, that guy isn't gonna show up for a while so let's train."

"But what about Happy and Carla? Where are they going?"

"Don't worry about it. You need to focus on the here and now because there's only one person who can defeat that guy, and it's you." Wendy's eyes widened as Natsu stuck out his hand, trying to get Wendy to stand back up. Meanwhile, Happy and Carla were flying back to the guild and Carla wanted to know who the package was for.

"Gajeel." Natsu and Wendy used the light of day to train as hard as they could. They worked on strength and strategy, coming up some way to defeat their new enemy together. Unfortunately, their enemy was also hatching up a plan of his own.

Down in the depths of the ocean, Umiko retreated to his lair with the book in hand. As he made his way down, he didn't look at the book once; he didn't even think about the book. When he finally returned to his lair, he put the book on a stand and surrounded it with a ball of water. However, it was no ordinary ball of water. Inside, the water was rough and fierce. He watched as the water desecrated the book. Scraps and scraps started to fly out of the ball until there was nothing left.

After the book was completely destroyed, the ball of water dissipated into nothingness and he walked off to another part of his lair. When he took a step into the room, the lights turned on and he slowly walked to the end of the room. Pictures of Grandine and Wendy were plastered all over the walls. He kept his head down the entire time walking to the end of the room.

"I have done what you have requested. I obtained the book and it's now destroyed. Our secrets will no longer be accessible to the outside world. All we have left to do is the final phase of the plan." He finally looked up as a small smile emerged from his face. He turned around and scanned the room.

The pictures of Grandine and Wendy were everywhere. Each one of them had x's over their faces with the word "death" as its title. As he continued to look at the pictures, he tightened his fist and dropped onto his knees, hitting the ground with his bare hands.

"Ah! She'll pay. She will pay for this. Trying to create a world without the existence of Aqualogia." He chuckled. "Well you are mistaken Grandine. You're power isn't all that it's shaped up to be. I finally met your Dragon Slayer and she is nothing, but a waste of the name." He walked up to a picture of Grandine and ripped it off the wall. "Useless. You call yourself a dragon when your Dragon Slayer can't even fight. How pathetic!" HE walked to another picture of her and ripped it down.

A walked down the long hallway continuing to rip down pictures of Grandine. She sound of paper tearing echoed throughout his lair. His screams of anger filled the room as he tore down the last picture of Grandine.

"I've waited all these years for you to return, but you never did. I waited all of this time to show you the power of a true Dragon Slayer, but you decide to hide away from the world. You're weak. That's why you won't show yourself, but now, fate has given me your Dragon Slayer and without hesitation, I will complete my mission. I will kill the Sky Dragon Slayer, and there's nothing that can stop me." He turned around and walked back to the end of the room.

He looked up once again and smiled.

"And I will be reunited with my father. Aqualogia, your eternal slumber will not last forever." In front of him was the body of a dragon. It was the body of the Great Sea Dragon, Aqualogia.

**Ending Note: **I apologize for this chapter being so short compared to the others. I'm been running low on time so I haven't been able to really put in all of my thoughts within these chapters. However, I promise that after this one, they will continued to average about the same length. I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far.

End of Chapter 6


	7. FS Chapter 7

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 7

The Sky Dragon's Fight

Natsu and Wendy spent the rest of the day training. Natsu helped Wendy develop her strength on the offensive. As for Natsu, there wasn't much he could do. He just continued to stay calm and to remember that he wasn't going to lose easily. He wasn't going to soil Igneel's name by a mere Dragon Slayer such as Umiko. With a stronger knowledge of her breath attack, Natsu moved onto something new.

"Now I'm not too sure of what you can do, but there's one thing that could work and that's your wing attack. For me, it pummels my enemies in a whirlwind of fire. It's pretty effective against a big group of people, but I guess we can't start with that. So it's pretty simple. All you gotta do is fill your hands with power and dash forward. Since you're the air, I think this attack will be more effective than mine. You wanna try it?"

"Um, can I see you do first?"

"Sure." Natsu took his stance and his hands lit on fire. "Karyuu no Yokugeki." His body dashed forward at a tremendous speed. Above him, there was a grand fire show up in the sky, symbolizing what would happen to his opponents. "All you need to remember is to stay calm and give it your all."

"Okay." Wendy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stood there silently as wind started to slowly surround her hands. "Tenryuu no Yokugeki." Incredibly, the entire area underwent a rough wind storm. Natsu covered his face and smiled.

"Perfect. I guess that was an easy one."

"Definitely much easier than the breath. Anything else?"

"Um, I guess there's another one, but it's kind of hard to demonstrate since I actually need something to hit. It's your claw attack. You engulf your foot with your power and it serves as like a cannon and explodes on contact. If that bastard was here, I could totally show you."

"Hehe, it's alright. I think I understand."

"Anything you wanna try?"

"Um, can we try that defense thing again?"

"Sure, how do you wanna do this?"

"I, uh… I was thinking that you could actually pretend to attack me."

"Huh? Are you serious?"

"I think that's the only way I can practice that technique. And plus, if that book was telling the truth, I'm pretty sure I'll need it when we fight that guy."

"Alright." Natsu walked away from Wendy to create some room between them. "Just stay on your toes. I don't want to hurt you."

"Okay." The two of them were separated in that open field. They stared at each other for a few seconds before anything actually happened.

"You ready?" Out of nowhere, the air around him seemed to feel a little heavy as he watched the wind fly towards Wendy. He smiled and readied himself. "I'll take that as a yes." Natsu got low to the ground and started the fight. His boy immediately lit on fire and he looked over at Wendy. Her body was calm, but the wind was still blowing around her. Her tightened his fist and took a deep breath in worry. "Here I come." Natsu kicked off the ground and charged Wendy. As he flew towards her, he was trying to think of the least effective attack to use, but struggling to come up with anything. When he was in range, he went with the first thing that came to mind. "Karyuu no Kenkaku!"

By some stroke of luck, he completely missed. His body returned the ground and he looked around for Wendy wasn't there. After a few seconds, he spotted her up in the sky, quickly making her way towards him. He kept his ground and prepared for what was to come.

"Tenryuu no Houko!" The huge blast of wind came right at him and he rolled out of the way. When he jumped out of the roll, he saw that she was close to the ground and took this opportunity to attack.

"Karyuu no Houko!" The huge wave of fire lit the skies and exploded on impact. It took him second to realize that his attack actually landed on Wendy. "Oh no, Wendy!" He started to run the fire. "Wendy!" he stuck out his arm as he drew closer, but out of nowhere, he was hit with a gust of wind and was sent flying back a ways. When he looked back up, he saw Wendy standing in a ball of wind, completely untouched. "Wendy!"

"Natsu-san, I did it!" He got up and ran to her. She smiled and dispersed the wind from around her body. Her feet returned to the ground and she ran towards him. When they reached each other, they stuck out their hands and gave each other a high-five.

"Nice job Wendy. You scared me at first."

"Yeah, I wasn't too confident in myself either."

"Well, once you gain that confidence, you'll be able to do anything. You wanna go again?"

"You know what, let's take a break. The sun's starting to get low so we should rest before it gets too dark."

"Good idea." Wendy turned around and started to walk into the forest. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Just gonna take a walk to clear my head."

"Alright. Don't be too long." She nodded and walked off.

Inside the forest, trees were everywhere and she could beams of sunlight protruding through the leaves. She continued to walk through the forest and it made her feel even calmer than before. Even though she was by herself, that place made things seem safer for her. After a couple of minutes, she found a small little lake and decided to stop there for a few minutes. She looked across the water to see small animals drinking the water and it put a smile on her face. She knelt down and cupped her hands together to gather some water.

"Wendy." Her eyes widened and she turned around as fast as she could.

"Natsu-san?" There was no one behind her. She looked around the area, but there wasn't out of the ordinary. She turned back around slowly and drank the water.

"Wendy. Hear me." It was the same voice again, but she knew that there was no one around. "Wendy. It's me." She closed her eyes and put her hands over her head.

"I don't know you. Leave me alone."

"I can't. You're in danger. Don't you want my help?" She opened her eyes

"Help? Grandine?"

"Yes child, it's me."

"Where are you?"

"I'm here. I've always been here. You're mine and I am yours." A tear fell from her eye.

"What's going on? Why is this stuff happening to us?"

"I can't explain much, but Aqualogia is my greatest enemy. Now, his Dragon Slayer is your greatest enemy. You need to stop him before his completes his mission or else bad things will happen."

"Bad things? Like what? You have to tell me more."

"I can't. I'm sorry child. From here on, the fight will be your own."

"Wait, Grandine." The forest was silent. Nothing but the sound birds chirping and grass swaying through the wind. She was gone. She wiped the tear from her face and stood back up. She looked down at the water and saw only her reflection. She turned around and walked back to camp.

When she returned, she saw that Natsu had a fire set up and everything. She sat down next to him and didn't say a word about what happened or what was going to happen.

"You feeling better?"

"Yeah," she said with a weak voice. Natsu caught on immediately and asked if anything was wrong. Wendy just brushed off the question as best as she could and remained silent. Natsu looked at Wendy and saw that she was troubled, but felt that it was best to leave it alone. She had a lot to deal with and to keep her troubled wouldn't make things any better. He leaned against the tree and tried to relax. "Um, Natsu-san…" He sat up. "Do you really think I can defeat him?"

"What do you mean? Of course you can. I believe in you."

"No. Do you think I can defeat him?" Natsu was somewhat confused. Wendy seemed really on-edge and this question struck him as odd. "Please answer me."

"Wendy, we all perceive power in different ways. Everyone's power is different in their own special way. If you're worried about Umiko, don't be. He's just a Dragon Slayer, just like me and you. There's nothing about him that you can't handle. When the time comes, I know you'll know what to." She lowered her head and took a deep breath.

"Okay." Natsu looked up at the sky and saw that the moon was finally in sight. He stood up and extinguished the fire.

"It's time to go." He stuck out his hand at Wendy and she took it as the two of them walked to beach, waiting for their opponent to arrive.

As they were waiting, Natsu was completely calm. He knew what he had to do, but this time, things were going to be different. He told himself that he was going to land some blows to that guy's jaw. On the other hand, Wendy was trembling. She was uneasy and unsure of her own abilities. Although she worked with Natsu during the day, real world situations are always different. She stood there next to Natsu and gripped her skirt in fear. The waves started to intensify and they both knew that it was finally time. Out in the middle of the sea, their enemy rose from the depths of the abyss. He slowly walked towards them and they were readied themselves for what was to come.

"So, you decided to come and meet me? How thoughtful of you two."

"Cut the chatter. We didn't come to talk."

"Well, neither did I so I guess we're on the same page. I hope you know that I won't show any mercy on you two."

"Good, that's how we like it." With that comment, the fight began.

"Umiryuu no Arashi." Spear-like raindrops started to fly right at them at tremendous speed.

"Karyuu no Kouen." Natsu lit up the area around them, protecting them from the shards of water. After the fire subsided, Umiko started to smile.

"So I see you're not gonna come at me with your head-first technique." Natsu gritted his teeth and tightened his fists.

"If that's what you want, then here I come. Karyuu no Houko!" the huge flame came right for him, but it didn't matter. He stuck up his arm and wall of water doused the fire into nothingness. However, right as it disappeared, Natsu appeared right in front of him which took Umiko by surprise. "Karyuu no Kagizume."

"Aahh!" His body was hit hard by Natsu's attack which sent him off balance.

"Wendy, now!" She twitched nervously and took her stance.

"Tenryuu no…" Umiko saw that he was going to ambushed and thought on his toes.

"I don't think so. Umiryuu no Houko." The huge funnel of water came flying right at her which caused her to lose her words. Her eyes widened and she dropped to the floor covering her head.

Boom! The water made contact and exploded on the beach. Natsu couldn't believe. Wendy. As the dust and smoke dissipated, he was taken by surprise. Wendy slowly opened her eyes and saw someone standing in front of her. They were in dark clothing and had a familiar scent.

"Good thing I got your message Salamander or this little one would be toast."

"Gajeel!"

Gajeel-san!" he turned around and looked at Wendy.

"Gehe!" Natsu returned to the beach and stood next to Gajeel.

"Sorry for making you come out here, but we'll need your help on this one."

"What's so special about this loser?"

"He's the Great Sea Dragon Slayer." Gajeel's eyes opened wide.

"Dragon Slayer, huh? Well, there's only room for one Dragon Slayer and that's me." Natsu immediately smashed his head into Gajeel's.

"Go jump in ditch."

"You're the one who called for me so can it, hothead." Natsu pulled away and crossed his arms.

"Fine. We'll work together on this and then we'll settle the score later."

"Gehe, so what's the plan?"

"Open him up and protect Wendy at all cost."

"Perfect." The two of them stood upright, ready to fight. Wendy looked up at Natsu, who had his hand reaching for her. She took his hand and returned to her feet. She's made numerous mistakes in the past, but now, she couldn't afford anymore. This time, she was going to win. Not just for her and her friends, but for Grandine.

End of Chapter 7


	8. FS Chapter 8

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 8

Battle of the Dragons

"You know, I'm not a huge fan of unfair fights, but I think I might let this one slide. After all, how often am I gonna get to fight my three rivals." Out of nowhere, a huge wave came right for them and they all dodged the attack. Natsu and Gajeel rolled out of the way while Carla grabbed Wendy and took her into the skies.

"You ready Salamander?!"

"Ah, let's. Karyuu no…"

"Tetsuryuu no…"

"HOUKO!" A blast of fire and iron came right for Umiko and exploded on impact. "Wendy, now!"

"Tenryuu no Houko!" Incredibly, Umiko brushed away the dust from the previous attack and saw that a gust of wind was coming right at him.

"Umiryuu no Uzu." A huge funnel of water shot up into the sky, protecting him from Wendy's attack. After the attack was complete, he dissipated the water and saw Wendy flying right for him. He smirked and prepared himself. Meanwhile, Natsu and Gajeel knew what was happening.

"Wendy, get out of there!" She didn't listen to them. She continued to fly right at him with the goal to end. That was the only thing that ran through her head.

"Tenryuu no…"

"Silly child. Umiryuu no Housuihou." He stuck up his arm and a fierce streak of water hit her right in the gut, sending her flying back to the beach. She rolled through the sand until her body came to an abrupt stop against some rocks.

"Wendy!" Natsu punched the ground as hard as he could when he body suddenly lit on fire. "We gotta stop this guy."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Gajeel's body then turned to iron for the two of them were changing their game plan. Meanwhile, Umiko slowly made his way back onto the beach to greet his well worked up opponents.

"It's funny how you fools think you can defeat me. Nothing can defeat the Sea Dragon so there's no point." Natsu chuckled which gave Gajeel a little surprise.

"You lie to yourself."

"What did you just say?"

"You aren't invincible. You're just like us. Don't think you're superior to us because you're not. If anything, you're below us." Umiko tightened his fist for he was growing impatient with them. "Grandine defeated you… And now, history will repeat." In the blink of an eye, Natsu leapt right for Umiko. "Karyuu no Tekken!"

"Hmph!" From behind him, he saw Gajeel's body in the air.

"Tetsuryuken!" His iron smashed into Umiko's body and sent him plummeting back into the ground. Immediately after he crashed into the ground, Natsu struck back with another attack.

"Karyuu no Kouen!" The entire area lit up with fire as the explosion sent smoke and sand flying everywhere. Natsu and Gajeel returned to the ground so they could deliver one more attack.

"Karyuu no…"

"Tetsuryuu no…"

"HOUKO!" Again, the attack caused another explosion, but this time, it had a different result. They looked through the smoke and saw Umiko's body lying on the ground. He didn't move as the dust finally subsided. Natsu stuck up his fist and Gajeel pounded it back. "Arrogance is your weak point." They turned around and walked towards Wendy when they heard soft rustling.

"Uh." Umiko's body slowly rose from the ground and when they turned around, they saw that their attacks had little effect on him.

"What?! That's impossible. Our attacks should have hit perfectly." Umiko smiled as his body slowly turned to water for her was unleashing his special technique.

"And strength is yours, mere Dragon Slayers." His body completely disappeared and small streak of water began to flow around them. They swung and kicked, but nothing did anything. Finally, the streak of water hit Natsu in the chest and sent him flying.

"Salamander!" Then, the water reformed in front of Gajeel and surrounded his body. At first, it looked as if nothing was happening, but then an explosion took place which caused Gajeel's body to return to normal as his body flew a ways as well. His body ended up crashing into Natsu's. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

"Me?! You're the one who crashed into me!"

"Whatever! Anyway, what do we do? This guy's pretty strong."

"I don't know. He's both of our weaknesses. Our only hope is her." Gajeel turned his head to see Wendy slowly rising from the ground as the air around them started to feel thin. They covered their faces as the wind started to thrash them, but as they caught a peek, the wind started to surround Wendy. Umiko's attention finally was put back on Wendy for this was what he was waiting for.

"Finally, the fight that I've been waiting for." And just like that, his body turned to water and weaved through the sky. Wendy remained motionless as she listened to the air around her. Natsu and Gajeel watched as the water streak quickly made its way to her.

"Wendy, look out!" As the streak aimed right for her, she opened her eyes and unleashed her power.

"Tenryuu no Yokugeki!" Slices of air filled the skies and the two of them took cover. When they looked back up, they saw the streak of water getting sliced up as Umiko's body reformed.

"Aaahhh!" He looked at Wendy and saw that she was attacking again. "Impossible. Umiryuu no Tsunami." A huge wave rose from the ocean and came right at her. She didn't mind this. She continued to fly right at him Umiko smiled for her knew there was no use. Nothing was more powerful than his tsunami attack. "Fall, like your comrades!"

"Tenryuu no Hikou!" Incredibly, the wind around her body cut through the tidal wave and she reappeared right in front of Umiko. His eyes widened for he was unprepared for this shift in momentum. "Tenryuu no Kagizume!" His body was thrashed by her attacks and he sent flying to the ground below him. She returned to the ground and saw him slowly rise.

"Impossible. Nothing can defeat me." He looked back at Wendy who was still surrounded by furious wind, but the more he stared at her, the more he saw Grandine. He tightened his fist and charged up his next attack. "See if you can withstand this. Umiryuu no HOUKO!" a huge blast of water came right at her and she lowered herself to the ground when suddenly, a familiar voice popped up in her head.

"The sky is limitless. You're power cannot be matched."

Grandine. Wendy straightened up her body as she closed her eyes and let the attack hit her head-on.

"Wendy!"

"Oi, what is she doing?" The water from his attack hit her right on and exploded on impact. Umiko laughed maniacally as the air around him returned to normal.

"Haha! Worthless, completely worthless. The king of the dragons couldn't defeat me and now, the queen of the skies has fallen victim to my power. None of you deserve the title of Dragon Slayer. This world is now mine and nothing can…" Suddenly, the wind started to go crazy which caused Umiko to cover his eyes. He looked back over at Wendy and saw that she was completely fine. The wind around her body was still there, but now, it was more intense than ever. "No, this can't be. You should be defeated already! Why?!"

"Because the Sky Dragon already defeated you once. History has been repeated." Wendy opened her mouth and the air around them started to flow into her body. Natsu looked at Gajeel for they were thinking the same thing.

"Gehe." They jumped back into the fray which caught Umiko off guard. Natsu appeared right in front of him with a smile on his face.

"Karyuu no Kenkaku!" Natsu's headbutt knocked him back a few feet where he was met by Gajeel.

"Tetsuryukon!" His body rebounded back towards Natsu, where he grabbed him by the forehead and chucked him into the sky.

"Aaahhhh!"

"Get him Wendy!" He body spun around uncontrollably as he saw Wendy charging up her final attack.

"Tenryuu no HOUKO!" Her breath attack came right at him, but something about this was completely different. The size and pressure of this attack was unlike anything he's ever seen. He knew what was going to happen after this and closed his eyes. The wind met his body head on and sent him flying into the beach. He rolled around on the ground until he finally came to stop after a few seconds. The three of them walked towards him and recognized his defeat.

"In…" He coughed. "Incredible. You really are the Sky Dragon Slayer." Wendy didn't acknowledge his compliment. She stared him down with the meanest look she could muster up. "I've been defeated. There's nothing left to do now, is there."

"Yeah there is." Natsu grabbed him by the throat and his hand lit on fire. "You bastard." Umiko avoided eye contact with Natsu for he knew that it wasn't necessary.

"I'll never recognize you as a Dragon Slayer, son of Igneel." Natsu gritted his teeth and tightened his grip.

"I don't need your recognition. You've been defeated and as long you know who defeated you, then it doesn't matter." Umiko chuckled to himself. Now, Natsu had it with him. He gripped his neck as tight as he could and chucked him back into the ocean where his body turned into water. "That bastard."

"Natsu-san." He turned around to look at Wendy. "We did it."

"Nah Wendy, you did it." She smiled and took a step towards Natsu, but immediately lost consciousness and fell to the ground. "Wendy!" He caught her before she crashed into the ground and took her somewhere safe.

Back at the ocean, the watery form of Umiko's body sank down into the depths of the ocean. Everything was dark and everything felt cold to him. He closed his eyes and tightened his fists.

"I'm sorry Aqualogia. I failed." He listened to silence of the deep sea. Nothing was stirring around and nothing was spoken. "But I promise, this won't happen again. I shall complete my mission and you will return to this world. The world will soon know the power of the Great Sea Dragon." And with that, his body continued to sink to the bottom of the ocean where he rested, alongside his fellow dragon.

A day later, Wendy finally woke from her unexpected collapse. Her eyes opened up to a familiar sight. She looked around the room and saw the whole gang there. Natsu, Lucy, Grey, Erza, and Gajeel were there waiting for her.

"Hey Wendy, how you feel?"

"I'm fine." She sat up. "How long have I been out?"

"Just a couple of days. We were told that you'd be fine. You just some rest, and you definitely rested." She smiled.

"What happened?"

"You used up all of your magic in a very intense way which caused your body to suddenly shut down.

"But did we defeat him?"

"No Wendy, you defeated him."

"Oh yeah, Natsu couldn't stop talking about how you defeated an actual Dragon Slayer. We all knew you could."

"Even though we kind of helped her out a bit." Erza's eyes flashed like a demon's as she stared down Gajeel.

"Shut up."

"Uh, sorry." Gajeel bowed his head and remained quiet for the rest of their little meeting." Wendy kicked her legs out from the bed and stood on her feet.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. See." She was completely upright with a smile on her face. "I wanna tell Mira-san that I finished my first job." She ran towards the door and opened it. Right as she opened the door, she was surprised.

"Congratulations!" Confetti was shot everywhere and everyone was cheering for her.

"W-What's going on?" Makarov walked up to Wendy and explained the whole thing.

"We heard that you went on your first job and here, your first job is a monumental point in your life so we wanted to celebrate your first job as a Fairy Tail member. Let's party!" from behind her, Natsu stumbled out of the room and jumped into the huge crowd of people.

"Who wants to fight me?!" Then, Grey ran out of the room and jumped on top of Natsu. The entire guild lit up with joy and happiness as they celebrated Wendy's first job. To no surprise, she was the star of the day. Everyone came up to her and asked her about what she did and how she felt. It was sort of difficult to answer all of the questions she was asked, but she tried her best.

After a couple of hours, Natsu finally made it out of the huge crowd. He crawled his way to the counter, completely exhausted. Erza was stting there, enjoying the sight while eating her strawberry cake.

"Gosh, this great. I love this place."

"You did a good job Natsu."

"Eh? Me? Wendy's the one who defeated him."

"No, I'm talking about guiding her. She may not mention it, but it definitely shows that she's grateful to you." He turned his head and tried to find Wendy. She was still engulfed in the huge crowd of people. However, she had a smile on her face and had absolutely no care in the world. "In the beginning, I was even shocked that you did this, but now, it makes sense. Dragon Slayers are incredible beings… especially you." Erza grabbed his head and smashed it into her armor.

"Ah, Erza, too hard. Please stop." She didn't listen. She simply smiled and continued to eat her cake. Meanwhile, Wendy had a little breathing room and looked around for Natsu. She saw him being bullied by Erza and couldn't help but smile.

"Natsu-san, thank you… for everything."

End of Chapter 8

**Ending Note: **So I'm contemplating on if I should continue this story, but to make a new arc. If you guys could let me know what you think, that'd be great. On the other hand, I hope you guys enjoyed this story. I never realized how fun it was to write Fairy Tail stories. Haha, see what I did there? Anyway, let me know what you guys think and I'll definitely release a new story/arc soon. Thank you guys so much for your support.


	9. FS Chapter 9

Into the Flaming Skies

Chapter 9

The Flaming Skies

After the huge party for Wendy was over, the guild quieted down as everyone was completely smashed from the drinking and crazy games they were doing. Unfortunately for Wendy, she was forced to stay the entire night, but when the party ended, she kind of wished it went on a little longer. As she made her way to the exit, she saw everyone passed out on the tables and floorboards and couldn't but smile. I love this guild. She opened the door and headed off to Fairy Tail Suites.

When she got to the inn, she noticed something on top of the roof. She tried to make out what it was, but the low light of night made it hard for her so her and Carla flew up and saw that it was Natsu.

"Natsu-san, what are you doing here?"

"Hey Wendy, I'm just thinking. And plus, the view of the night sky is so good up here."

"Where's Happy?"

"Oh, he's inside your room." Carla exploded and flew to their room where she gave Happy a serious talking to. Wendy decided to sit down next to Natsu and enjoy the night sky as well. The moon shined down on them and cool breeze filled the air. Natsu took nice, deep breaths as he continued to look up without a care in the world. "Did you enjoy your party?"

"My party? It didn't really feel like it."

"Yeah, first job parties never feel like it. You just have to play along and enjoy everyone around you. Doesn't happen very often anymore. Our guild is running low on new members."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not really. It's just that I love seeing our guild so happy and cheerful. It gives me more of a reason to keep fighting."

More of a reason to fight, huh? Wendy looked back up at the sky and saw more and more stars start to shine down on this beautiful night. She constantly looked over at Natsu and then back up at the sky. Her cheeks were getting red as she thought about all of the things they've gone through together. He inspired her during the Nirvana conflict and he even took time out of his schedule to go accompany her on her first job. As she thought about it, it seemed as though he was too nice, but then again, what was so bad about that?

"Um, Natsu-san?"

"What's up Wendy?" She sat up and bowed to him.

"Thank you." He turned his head and saw her acting so formal.

"For what?"

"For teaching me the ways of a Dragon Slayer, and for being so patient with me. I know I'm not the best when it comes to magic, but you helping me made things much easier. I don't know why. I just… can't thank you enough." A tear fell from her eye as her head was still bowing. All of a sudden, a thud came from her head and she looked up. Natsu's hand was on her head.

"Thank you for listening. You know, you're actually the first person who's asked for help on magic."

"Really? Why is that?"

"I don't know. Well actually, I do know. Our guild is pretty seasoned so no know wants help and if they do, there's always Erza or Laxus… Laxus." He dropped his head.

"Natsu-san, are you okay?" He shook his head and leaned back to look up at the skies.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Gosh, the sky is beautiful tonight." He put on a smile, but in his head, he was thinking about Laxus and how he fell to his own self-righteousness. He looked at Wendy and kept on that smile for he knew that that would never happen to her. This gave him a sense of relief as he closed his eyes and breathed in the night air.

"Natsu-san, is there a reason why you took me in so quickly?" His eyes opened wide.

"Huh? Why do you ask?"

"Well, it just seemed that you were the type of person who worked better by yourself so I thought it was kind of weird for you to be so willing to take me in. it was almost like you liked…"

"Wendy, you wanna know why I took you in so easily." She stopped her train of thought and decided to listen. "When I found out that you were a Dragon Slayer, I was so happy. Dragons and Dragon Slayers are so rare that I was starting to feel alone. Then you lost your guild which only made me feel for you more. I couldn't let someone like you waste away, but then you came to me, asking for advice so I happily gave it to you."

"That's because you were incredible when I met you."

"Thanks. And to be honest, I slowly started to feel like Igneel. Me training a Dragon Slayer and feeling protective over you, it was almost as if you're my…"

"Little sister." Natsu was caught off guard. He did not see this coming. Wendy took the words right out of his mouth.

"How did you know?"

"Because you felt like an older brother to me. When you helped me with magic, it gave me faint memories of being with Grandine. Your constant support and care made me feel at home." Out of nowhere, she hugged Natsu and started to cry. "It's been forever since I've felt this way and after losing Caitshelter, I didn't know what to do."

"Wendy."

"Thankfully, Fairy Tail was so caring. I never knew such people existed in this world. You people are so vibrant and incredible. Those things alone drew towards you guys and now, I know this is where I belong." She pulled away and looked at Natsu. "Thank you, Natsu-nii."

"Eh, Natsu-nii?" He bugged him at first, but he let it go. He didn't want to ruin this moment and Wendy was so sincere that it didn't really matter anymore. She squeezed her as tight as he could.

"Don't worry Wendy, I'm here for you. We're all here for you. Anytime you need anything, I'll be there. And if I can't, there are more than enough people in this guild that would be willing to help out. All you gotta do is ask. Just like you did with me." He felt the tears flow onto his shoulder for tears were starting to form in his eyes as well.

After a few minutes, Wendy fell asleep on Natsu's shoulder and he carefully brought her into her room. When he got in, he saw Happy and Carla completely knocked out. He didn't want to bother them so he pulled the blankets over Wendy's body and disappeared into the night, all alone.

He walked through town, still under the light of the moon and continued to think. We're so similar. I used to have Gildarts. Even though he was no match for me, he still took me in as his own and the times we had were the best. I even had some moments with Laxus, before he turned rogue. What happened Laxus? Why did you have to change? We all loved you. Why?

He made his way into town and found himself walking along the river. He stopped and noticed that he was in front of Lucy's apartment. He silently climbed up to her room and took refuge there for the night. As he tiptoed through her apartment, he saw her peacefully sleeping away a fun-filled night. Unfortunately, she hogging the bed so he had to lean against the side of her bed for the night.

"Good night Lucy." He sat down, leaned against her bed, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Lucy rose early from the morning sun. Her head was completely off of her pillow, but on something else. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, she saw that she was leaning on Natsu's head. She quickly scurried against the wall in fear as Natsu woke up as well.

"Eh?! Natsu, what are you doing here?"

"I spent the night."

"I know that. How'd you get in? The front door was locked."

"Well obviously. That's why I came in through the window."

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Lucy quickly stood up and grabbed Natsu by the back of his collar and threw him out of the window. "Next time, ask and maybe I won't be so harsh!" She slammed the window shut and got ready. Natsu stood up, dusted off his pants, and headed to the guild.

When he got there, everything was as lively as ever. Almost too lively. He asked Gray what was up and he said that Makarov had an announcement to make. Immediately, Natsu grew excited, but then discouraged at the same time for they had to wait for everyone to be there before he would make the announcement.

"Ugh, why? We all know that Lucy wakes forever to get here."

"Aye sir!"

"Hey Happy."

Boom! Everyone looked at the front door and saw Lucy standing there with heavy breaths as she charged Natsu with anger. She gripped his shirt and pulled him close.

"I heard that Natsu. I do NOT take long to get ready. I take just as much time as any other girl."

"Well, Erza's already here." She slowly moved her head to the side and saw Erza standing there, as if she's been there for hours. She repositioned her head back in front of Natsu.

"Well, that's because she's Erza."

"Just admit it, you take a long time."

"I DO NOT!" Makarov took to the stage and cleared his throat.

"Alright, now that Lucy is finally ready, we can begin."

"Aaahhhhh!" Lucy went berserk for her day was already starting off bad.

"It's nice to see everyone here and ready to work." They all cheered with enthusiasm. "Anyway, I have received many new job requests for the Normal Meetings, and I mean many. So, I hope you're all ready to work hard and make this guild some many, I mean, give this guild some good reputation." And with that, Makarov tossed the papers into the air for everyone to fight over.

"Aha! New jobs. I'm all fired up. Lucy! Gray! Erza! Let's pick the best one!" As Natsu bounced around the place, he saw Wendy standing alone and away from the crowd. Right in his line of sight, he saw Erza's arm in the air with a job request in hand.

"I got one Natsu. Let's go."

"And Wendy. Let's do this one together." He stuck out his arm towards her and she smiled. She ran right at them and they went on their first together as a group.

End of

Into the Flaming Skies Arc

**Ending Note: **Well, if you haven't noticed by now, I've made some changes to the story which means that it'll keep going. I want to give a shout-out to _Swed984 _and _BeastlyTick59 _for the suggestions. Thanks you guys. Anyway, I'm still planning a new arc, but I'll release some fillers. However, I promise they'll be good because to be honest, I'm getting a little tired of the filler that is happening right now in the show.

Also, because it's Thanksgiving tomorrow, I will be away from my computer so I won't be able to upload anything so expect the usual chapters late Sunday. Sorry for the inconvience.


	10. Frozen Waters

Frozen Waters

**Note: **This is the first of a couple of fillers I have available for you guys. Just note that these, don't happen in any specific order. I just happened to write them as they came to my head so I'm sorry if I make you jump around a bit. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy.

It was the day right after the Grand Magic Games and everyone had plans to venture through the city, trying to find something fun to do before they all head back to their guilds. As the clock struck 9am, Gray was the last one rise. He opened his eyes and saw that everyone was already gone. He was wondering why it felt so peaceful in the morning. Suddenly, a knock came from the door. He got out of bed and walked towards the door with only a pair of shorts on.

"Who is it?"

"It's Juvia." He took a sigh of relief and opened the door. "Oh Gray-sama, you're so dreamy in your pajamas." He looked down at his body for they weren't really pajamas. It was just something that was comfortable when he went to bed.

"Anyway, what's up?"

"Um, well, everyone else had an early start and Juvia woke up late so Juvia was wondering if we could spend the day together."

"Sure, that sounds great. Everyone here already left as well." Juvia's eyes lit up like stars. It was destiny that she and Gray were to spend the day together. "Alright, well, I'm gonna get ready and then I'll be right out."

"Gray-sama, would you like Juvia to help you get ready?"

"No thanks." Immediately, he closed the door and got ready. Meanwhile, Juvia was hurt. She couldn't believe that Gray wouldn't let her help him out a bit. She stood in front of the door with a pouty face until a few minutes later, Gray walked out, completely clothed and ready to go. "Alright, where should we go first?"

"How about you decide?"

"Okay. Let's just walk around town and see what catches our eyes."

"Gray-sama, you always come up with the best ideas." Juvia hugged his arm and they walked out of the inn and into the bustling city streets.

At first, they simply walked around town sightseeing. They didn't have a plan or anything in mind. They just let the city take guide them places. For both of them, the day felt so peaceful since the past few days have been nothing but fighting and working, but they are finally something of a break. As they continued to walk, they ran into a familiar face. They stopped and decided to chat with him.

"Hey, you're Frosch from Sabertooth. What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Gray knelt down in front of Frosch.

"Fro got lost and now Fro's trying to find his way back to the guild."

"Would you like some help?" At first, his face lit up with happiness, but then quickly shut back down.

"No thank you. Fro always gets lost and Fro wanted to prove that he could do things on his own." He turned around and started to walk off.

"Well, you're going in the right direction!"

"Fro thinks so, too." He stood back up and the two of them watched him disappear into the crowd of people. "I hope he finds his way back."

"Oh Gray-sama, you're so thoughtful."

"Well, it's just that I kind of know what's happening."

"What do you mean?"

"When Natsu was separated from Happy for the first time, he was demoralized. It seemed as if the whole world was turned upside-down. He refused to fight me and he barely even ate. I just don't want to see Rogue like that. There wasn't anything I could do to help Natsu at the time so now, I feel that I should."

"Well, Juvia thinks you did the right thing."

"Thanks."

Growl. Gray looked down at his stomach which was making a racket. Juvia couldn't help but laugh at the sound of his loud stomach going off. They decided to grab a bite for lunch at the nearest restaurant. After that, the returned to the city and walked around, finding new and interesting places to spend their time.

However, as the continued to walk, Juvia noticed that Gray was acting kind of distant. Normally, he was very open to her when she wasn't going psycho-crazy on him, but ever since they started out their day, Juvia's been quite chill. Gray, on the other hand, has been the weird one. Juvia tried taking him to some of the romantic places in the city, but he didn't react in any way. He didn't even panic. He just looked around and then walked off in silence.

The day started to grow late and Gray was still acting strange so Juvia decided to come up with something special for him. She dragged him through the busy streets, buying random things the Gray didn't pay attention to.

As the sun set, Juvia found a nice, open, grassy area to set up a picnic. She laid out a blanket, set down her basket, and prepared the food. Gray didn't object to this so he took a seat next to Juvia and waited for the food. The food wasn't anything special, but this wasn't her primary objective. That was still to come. Gray ate his food slowly, but eventually finished it. Finally, the sun set and the night sky took over, lighting up the city with its glow. Gray fell onto his back and stared up at the sky. Now, it was time to execute her plan.

"Gray-sama, is something bothering you?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it just seems that you've been kind of distant today. Is it something that Juvia did? If so, Juvia is extremely sorry." She bowed her head at Gray and he sat back up.

"No, of course not. You're perfectly fine. Don't worry about it." She raised her head back up and looked at Gray. His face definitely wasn't the same as it usually is. She scooted a little closer towards him and kept on with her plan.

"You don't have to hold in what you're trying to hide. I'd be happy to listen." Gray looked at Juvia who had a sincere look on her face. He could tell that she was being serious and decided to tell her what he was thinking about.

"It's about when we were fighting the dragons."

"Your vision?"

"Yeah, it's still coming to my mind. I can't seem to get it out of head. The image of me dying is something that I can't live with. I know I'm alive now, but what would have happened if that vision was reality? I wouldn't have been able to protect the ones I care about." He closed his eyes, dropped his head, and tear fell from his eye. Juvia put her hand on top of his and wiped away that lone tear.

"But you're here, aren't you? That means that you can still protect everyone you care about. Juvia is forever grateful for what did. You saved Juvia's life, and Juvia could never repay that. Thank you, Gray-sama." She placed her hand on his cheek and he looked up slowly. She was glowing from the night sky, unlike anything he's ever seen before. Her eyes were sparkling and her hand was warm.

"Juvia, I'm sorry for being such a drag today."

"It's okay, Gray-sama. Juvia forgives you, but I hope you can forgive Juvia as well."

"What are you…" Suddenly, Juvia's lips pressed against his. He was completely shocked and couldn't control his body. He fell onto his back with Juvia still kissing him. At first, he kept his eyes open, wondering what she was doing, but after a while, he actually enjoyed the feeling and wrapped his arms around her body.

As they continued to kiss, she felt his arms around her body and almost died from the sensation. Gray-sama is embracing Juvia. How can this get any better? Juvia did not think this would go so well. She tried not to think too much about it and let the moment continue. For Gray, something else popped into mind. It was Erza's voice.

"You know, Juvia really cares about how she's seen in your eyes. You should really give her an honest answer." He opened his eyes again and sat back up, gently ending the moment between them.

"Gray-sama, Juvia is so sorry. Please forgive Juvia."

"No, it's fine." Give her an honest answer, huh? "Juvia, I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Gray-sama?"

"I know you like me a lot. You spend your days trying to get close to me, but I constantly push you away. I'm sure it hurts you more and more as I keep doing it. So here's my answer." Her eyes slowly widened as Gray paused to really think about what he was saying. "I do love you. You've given me more love than anyone ever has in my entire life. I know it seems like I hate you, but it's quite the opposite. It's just that I'm not used to this kind of feeling. And you constantly, knock me off my feet. It's really hard to keep up with you." Juvia's face was completely red. Her plan worked.

"Gray-sama, Ju-Juvia doesn't know what to say."

"It's okay. You don't need to say anything." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. The place he kissed her made Juvia feel like it was on fire. There was too much going on for her to keep up when suddenly, she fainted and fell to the floor. Luckily, Gray caught her before she crashed into the ground. "Juvia, are you okay?" He shook her a bit and then felt her forehead. She was pretty hot. He picked her up in his arms and brought her back to the guild where he set her down on her bed and put a wet towel over her head. After about an hour or so, she finally came to. As her eyes slowly opened, she saw Gray sitting beside her on her bed with his hand on top of hers.

"Gray-sama, what happened?"

"You fainted. Don't worry. Wendy said that you'll be fine." She smiled. At first, she was wondering if what happened was simply a dream, but she knew it couldn't have been. He was in her room, sitting on her bed. There was no way it was a dream.

"Gray-sama, was Juvia dreaming or something?"

"Nope, you were wide awake for the whole thing." Her eyes widened and she started to blush. She pulled the blanket over her face, trying to hide her red face. Gray placed his hand on Juvia's cheek to see if she was doing alright and her temperature was back to normal. "Well, be sure to rest up. We gotta head back to the guild tomorrow." He stood up and walked out of the room. Right as he closed the door, Juvia went nuts. She jumped out of bed and started to squeal.

"Gray-sama! Gray-sama really does love Juvia! Why did Juvia faint? Juvia's such a weakling!" She went on and on for hours. Meanwhile, Gray was right outside the room, listening to the entire thing. He couldn't help but smile at the sound of Juvia's joy. After things settled down inside, he returned to his room with a smile on his face.

End of Frozen Waters


	11. A Small Flame

A Small Flame

The year was 777 and the Fairy Tail guild was as lively as ever. Natsu has finally gotten used to being in the guild on his own. However, he constantly thought about Igneel, wondering if he'd ever see him again. Everyone else was acting as normal as could be. Mira and Erza occasionally had their fights. Lisanna and Elfman were always with each other. Cana was always by herself, remaining quiet, but there was always something to keep the guild alive.

"Hey slanty eyes, don't bump into me!"

"You bumped into me, underpants shogun!" Natsu and Gray pressed foreheads together in rage. The two of them were fighting again with worthless reasons, as always.

"Enough!" Erza split the two of them up and threw them into a nearby wall. "No fighting in the guild hall."

"A-Aye!"

"Haha. Erza's as strong as ever."

"Oh give me a break Lisanna, I could beat her down easily." Suddenly, Erza turned around slowly with eyes glowing red.

"What did you say?" She zoomed towards Mira and slammed her forehead into hers.

"I said you're no match for me."

"Oh yeah, you wanna go?"

"Hey, that's no fair. How come Erza can fight, but Gray and I can't?" Mira and Erza were looked in a never-ending stare down until the front door of the guild slammed open. Everyone turned their heads to see a huge figure walk through the door. All the kids watched him slowly make his way through the guild. All of the adults were speechless.

"Hey Makarov, I'm back finally."

"Gildarts!" All of the adults jumped at Gildarts, asking him about his job and how long he was planning on staying. Meanwhile, all of the kids were confused. They didn't know who he was or why he seemed so special. The only ones who knew what was going on were Mira and Erza. Natsu walked up to Erza.

"Hey, who's that?"

"That's Gildarts. The strongest wizard in Fairy Tail. No one has ever beaten him and he's never failed a single job. He's one incredible wizard." Natsu looked at Gildarts in wonder. Nothing about that guy showed that he was some kind of miracle. Natsu smiled and pounded his fists together.

"Gildarts, I challenge you to a fight! Karyuu no Tekken!" Natsu flew towards Gildarts who had his back facing him. Right as he was about to make contact, Gildarts turned around and grabbed Natsu's fist, extinguishing his flame and stopping his attack.

"Oi, Makarov, who's the new kid?"

"That's Natsu Dragneel. He's a Dragon Slayer."

"Hmm, a Dragon Slayer huh?" Natsu's hand was still under Gildarts' control.

"Karyuu no Kagizume!" Natsu kicked his feet out from under him and aimed for Gildarts' head, but it was no use. Gildarts moved his head out of the way with more than enough time and threw Natsu straight into the ground. The impact of Natsu' body hitting the ground sent waves of air flying through the guild hall. Everyone laughed for they knew Natsu didn't stand a chance against Gildarts.

"If you'll excuse, I'm gonna head home for a bit."

"Alright, be sure to stay a while. We all wanna hear about your mission."

"Don't worry. I think this will be a long visit."

"Woohoo!" Everyone in the guild cheered as Gildarts made his way out of the guild and to his little cottage not too far away. As he cleared the doorway, Natsu raised his head from the floor. He saw Gildarts walk out of the guild without a single scratch on him.

"Hey Natsu," Mira grabbed his hair and whispered in his ear, "I wouldn't try that stunt again. Gildarts is the strongest person in the entire guild. If you value your pride, I wouldn't mess with him anymore." She slammed his head back into the ground and walked off laughing.

"Mira-nee, that's not funny," Lisanna yelled as she chased her older sister. Natsu looked up once again and saw that he was gone. He slowly made it back on his feet and continued to look out the open door. Then suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder, but he didn't pay attention.

"Let it go Natsu. He's on a completely different level from any of us. Don't beat yourself down because of this. It's happened to everyone." Natsu started to tear up and his fists clenched.

"Master, where does he live?"

"Okay, hold on. Let's not rush to conclusions."

"Please. I just wanna know." Makarov sighed and rubbed his hand against his face.

"Alright. He lives on the countryside to the east of the city." Without another word, Natsu zoomed off to find Gildarts house. Makarov watched him run off and couldn't help but wonder what he was going to do.

Natsu ran through town, weaving through the endless crowd of people until he finally cleared the city and made it into the countryside. After a few minutes, Natsu saw a small house all by itself and immediately ran to it. He knocked on the door as hard as he could until Gildarts opened it up. He looked down and saw a steaming little boy at the door.

"Hey Natsu, you wanna another go?" Natsu stared at him with such serious eyes. He never took his eyes off of Gildarts. On the other hand, Gildarts was serious as well. He was stuck on Natsu until the unthinkable happened. Natsu fell on his knees and placed his head on the ground.

"Please teach me! Teach me to be strong like you!" He closed his eyes and a tear dropped onto the floor.

"Natsu, I…"

"Please!" Gildarts paused for a few seconds.

"Rise Natsu." Natsu wiped the tears from his eyes and stood back on his feet with his head still facing the ground. Gildarts placed his hands on Natsu' shoulder which made him finally look up.

"You are strong, Natsu. I see the drive in your eyes, that determination to be the very best that you can be. With that being said, I'll be willing to teach you." Natsu's face lit up and a smile emerged from the sadness. "Your first lesson starts now." Gildarts punched Natsu and he was quick enough to bring up his arms, protecting his face. Incredibly, the force of his punch sent him flying into the field in front of his house. Natsu remained on his feet, but slid across the ground for a few hundred feet.

After Natsu regained his footing, he looked up and saw Gildarts walking right for him. He took a deep breath and charged up his next attack.

"Karyuu no Houko!" his attack came right at Gildarts and exploded on contact. At first, Natsu became excited, but was immediately discouraged. Out from the fire walked Gildarts completely unscathed. Natsu opened his eyes wide and was completely in shock. He couldn't believe his attack didn't do anything. Gildarts finally made it to Natsu and stood right in front of him. He looked up and saw Gildarts' hand reach towards him. He closed his eyes and covered his face with his arms. Suddenly, his arms were grabbed by Gildarts and he opened his eyes.

"Keep your arms firm." Gildarts crossed Natsu's arms in an X shape and pushed against it. "This is your defense. Get this strong enough, and nothing will be able to breach this." He kept his arms up while Gildarts continued to push against him. He occasionally broke the position, but Gildarts continued to keep them up until they were strong enough. "You got it?" Natsu nodded his head.

"I think so."

"Alright, I'll let you work on that on your own. Now, about your offense, you need to find your balance, your 'happy place' if I may. Thinking about this sort of thing will let you become stronger and have more of a sound mind. Try to attack me." Gildarts stepped back a few feet to allow Natsu some running room.

As he stepped back, he saw Natsu's body light on fire. However, it wasn't very intimidating. His flame was small barely covering his entire body. The light was dim and the intensity wasn't there. Natsu clenched his fist and charged Gildarts with everything her had.

"Aaahhhh!" He punched at Gildarts, but his fist was grabbed out of the air. His flame was immediately extinguished.

"What are you thinking about right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your feelings can project outwards through your magic, making you a fiercer opponent." He gently returned Natsu to the ground and let go of his fist. "You can't fight aimlessly. You must keep something important to you in mind or else it's not worth it." Natsu lowered his head and retreated to his mind.

What should I think about? What is there to think about? There's nothing. I have nothing to think about. Oh, come on Natsu, there's gotta be something. He squeezed his eye lids tighter until something finally came to mind.

"Natsu, can you hear me?"

"Igneel?"

"Ah, it's me. You believe you have nothing, but you have everything. Everything you could possible want is within your grasp. Use my strength; use your strength to become the Dragon Slayer I know you can be."

"Thanks dad." Natsu lessened the grip on his hands. Meanwhile, Gildarts was examining Natsu very careful, trying to see if he was getting to him, and it was definitely working. Out of nowhere, Natsu's body lit on fire, but had a different look and feel compared to last time. The fire was bigger, the heat was greater, and the intensity was that of a true dragon. Gildarts smiled and prepared himself. Natsu got on his knees and then immediately flew towards Gildarts, with his fist blazing.

"Come!" Gildarts put up his arms and took the impact of Natsu's punch. Incredibly, the fire continued to burn even though Gildarts usually extinguished it by this time.

"Aaaaahhhhhhh!" The fire continued to grow bigger until it surrounded their bodies. After a few minutes, the fire finally went out and Gildarts had a smile on his face. Natsu kept his eye on Gildarts until something interesting caught his attention. He saw part of Gildarts cloak on fire. Natsu smiled and lowered his hand. "How was that?"

"Wonderful Natsu. Simply wonderful," he said as he rubbed Natsu's head.

"So that was good?"

"Of course. It takes a lot for an attack to hit me, let alone set my clothes on fire. Like I said, your drive will take you places that are unseen." Natsu' face lit up as Gildarts grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him up on his shoulders. "Let's head back to the guild and have some fun."

"Alright. Let's go!" Natsu stuck out his finger towards the guild as if Gildarts was his own personal ship.

When they returned to the guild, they made a big entrance. As they crashed through the front door, everyone was drawn to their attention. They saw Natsu on top of Gildarts shoulders', both with smiles on their faces. Natsu immediately jumped down from his shoulders and ran towards Gray.

"Gray, let's settle this!"

"Alright, bring it hot head." Natsu jumped on top of Gray and all that people could see was a cloud of smoke, covering up the fight.

"Hey, didn't I already tell you guys not to fight inside the guild?" out of nowhere, a hand reached out and grabbed Erza, pulling her into the mix. Mirajane saw this and wanted to join in as well. She jumped off a table and pile drove into the group of kids. Meanwhile, Gildarts made his way to the back of the guild and stood next to Makarov.

"So what happened?"

"Not much really. I just told him what he needed to know."

"Hm." They looked at the fight and saw Natsu crawling out of the fray, but then his ankle was grabbed and he looked back in fear.

"Get back here! You started this and you're not getting away now."

"No!" His body slid back into the fight where everyone could screams from all four of them. As they all watched, the guild filled with laughter as the day went on as normal as ever.

End of

A Small Flame


	12. Without Each Other Chapter 1

Without Each Other

Chapter 1

The Grand Magic Games

**Note: **Finally, another update to this story after that unfortunate delay. Right now, I'm pretty sure nothing like that will happen again. However, if it does, I'll be sure to let you guys know ahead of time. Anyway, I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope you all enjoy the start of a new arc in the story.

The guild finally got back from the Grand Magic Games and the entire town was bustling. People were going nuts over Fairy Tail's victory and its members couldn't stay still. Ever since they started the tournament, they haven't been able to go on any jobs so everyone rushed to find the perfect one. During the rush, Natsu looked for Lucy to go on a job with, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. He looked around for Gray and Erza, but they weren't there either. Wendy wasn't even there. He saw Mirajane pass by and asked her what was going on.

"Hey Mira, where's everyone?"

"They're already on jobs. You didn't know? I'd assume they would have told you."

"Hm, they didn't. Strange." He looked down.

"Don't worry Natsu, I'm sure they'll be back soon. Why don't you go on a job? Get your mind off of it. We all are a bit rusty so it could be a good idea."

"I'll think about it. Thanks Mira."

"No problem." She smiled and walked off to serve the others who were still at the guild. Him and Happy walked out of the guild and looked out to the city. They place was so lively that it brought a smile on his face. However, he did want to go on a job with his friends. He waited all day until the normal group finally made it back to the guild.

When he returned to the guild, he saw Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Wendy all at Mirajane's counter, giving her the news about their success on their jobs. Out of nowhere, Natsu ran to Lucy, wrapped his arms around her waist, and picked her up into the ar.

"Lucy, let's go on a job!"

"Eh?! I just got back from one. I think I should rest before."

"Aw, come on. I haven't gone on a job for some long. Why did you guys leave me?"

"We didn't really leave you. We just found jobs that didn't require your assistance."

"Oh I see. You don't like me anymore."

"Come on Natsu, don't be immature."

"No, it's fine. I'll just go on a job by myself. Come on Happy."

"Aye sir!" They walked to the request board and ripped off the first job they saw. Without a word, they stormed out of the guild and made their way to the job. The four of them watched him make his way out all by himself.

"Um, what's wrong with Natsu-san?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen him like this before. Maybe we should have asked him to go with us, but then again, there wouldn't have been anything for him to do." The four of them pondered on the possibilities of Natsu's abnormal behavior. Not before too long, they gave up and resumed to their normal lives inside the guild.

Lucy decided to head back home from her job and relax in her tub after a long day of work. She summoned Plue and had him accompany her on her way back to her apartment. To her surprise, when she arrived at her apartment, Natsu was sitting beside the river, right in front of her apartment. He didn't look or anything. He just sat there and looked at the ground. Lucy walked over to him and sat down beside him.

"Hey Natsu, are you okay?"

"Of course, why would you think I'm not okay?"

"Well, it's just that at the guild, you seemed kind of not like you."

"I'm fine Lucy. I just feel a little rusty since I haven't been on a job in a long time." Lucy looked at Natsu's sad face and knew that there was more to it, not just not being able to go on a job.

"Are you sure that's all?" He didn't answer. "Natsu, if there's something on your mind, you can talk to me about it. It's not like I'm gonna say something so mean that it'll kill you. I'm your friend, after all." He sighed and continued to look at the ground.

"Do you trust me?" Lucy was caught off guard by this question. She didn't know how to respond, but knew she had to because Natsu was being completely serious.

"Of course I trust you. Why would you even ask that question? I've trusted you ever since I joined."

"I don't know if I trust myself anymore." Lucy was shocked. Was this even Natsu she was talking to?

"Natsu, what's wrong?"

"It's about the Grand Magic Games. All of that stuff happened and it really hit me hard. I asked everyone to do their parts to defeat the enemies. I even asked the Dragon Slayers to do the unthinkable and defeat a dragon. None of them did. Laxus couldn't even do it. I couldn't do. Where does that put me as a Dragon Slayer? How could I be called that when I wasn't anywhere useful when I needed to be?" He paused for a second.

"You can't think about that too much. All of that stuff was just out of our league. Master couldn't even take down a dragon so there's nothing to beat yourself up on."

"But there is. Dragon Slayers are supposed to be the strongest wizards alive, yet we can't even live up to our name. The rest of the time we were there, I kept hearing people talk about how Dragon Slayers couldn't even take down a dragon. Things like how worthless we are or that that is just a calling card."

"Come on, you did a lot more things than just that. You defeated the Twin Dragons, you overcame chariot, and you even saved me from the kingdom. Those have got to count for something, right?" Natsu stood up and walked a few feet away from Lucy.

"None of that matters if I can't even be called a Dragon Slayer with respect." Out of nowhere, a pinch came from his arm. He looked back and saw Lucy holding onto his shirt.

"Well I don't care about that. You saved me. I couldn't be anymore grateful for it. Everybody in the guild knows how special you are and that you are one-of-a-kind. You don't need a special title to show who you are. The people who are special to you know and you shouldn't care what other people think. Yeah, you couldn't defeat a dragon, but you've done things that are indescribable. Don't you remember any of those things? Jellal, Master Zero, Master Hades; you do things that are incredible. I just want you to know that you're important to us, to me. Dragon Slayer is just a title. Your actions are what define who you are and to me, I couldn't ask for a better friend than you." She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as tight as she could. As Natsu stood there speechless, he heard the soft whimpers of Lucy crying. His eyes immediately opened wide.

All of those things he went through; all of those things he conquered weren't for nothing. He fought for Erza in her most desperate time against Jellal. He fought for Caitshelter in a dire situation against Nirvana. He fought with his comrades to defend Tenroujima from Master Hades. Everything started to flood back into his head. All of the good moments and all of the bad moments were finally returning. For some reason, he had forgotten. The Grand Magic Games conflict distracted him from who he really was, but now, he was finally remembering everything. He wrapped his arms around Lucy and returned the favor.

"I'm sorry Lucy. I got so caught up in my own world not to realize that you are right." He pulled her away and looked her straight in the eye. "I don't need a fancy title. I just need to fight on for everyone, and that's what I've been doing. And I'll keep doing it." He smiled which gave Lucy reason to smile back. She wiped her tears off her face as they parted their hug.

"So do you still wanna go on a job? I think I've got enough in me for another round."

"Really? Then let's go find a job." Immediately, Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her through the streets and back to the guild. He ran so fast that Lucy nearly lost consciousness on the way back. The two of them looked at the request board and tried to find something that they could do together.

"So what do you wanna do?"

"I don't care. You pick. I'm up for anything." She smiled and looked back at the request board. Her eyes browsed every corner of the board until something finally caught her attention. She ripped it off the wall and looked at it more in depth.

_Help Wanted. Bandits have overrun our town and we are in need of help. Anything will do. Please answer us. We offer $1,000,000 as a reward._

Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head. That money would help her out so much with rent. Right as she thought about it, another thought came to her head. She and the landlady still had to talk about the rent that was still up in the air during the Grand Magic Games. She knew it was going to be bad so she took the request to Mira to get it approved.

"Wow Lucy, two jobs in one day. You're definitely stepping it up." Lucy chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Yeah well, I just felt like it was necessary since we just got back from the games."

"You going with anyone?"

"Natsu."

"Ah, then you'll be fine." She handed Lucy back the paper. "Alright. Good luck you two!"

"Thanks Mira, we'll try to bring you back a souvenir or something."

"Okay, have fun." They waved goodbye to each other and immediately headed off to the train station. Right as they got there, Natsu was completely bummed out. He forgot that Lucy was lazy and that she always took the train to her jobs. He sighed and hesitantly got aboard the train where he immediately lost all of his strength and will to live. Lucy stayed by his side and tried to make things a little easier on him, even though that wasn't possible for Natsu in this kind of situation.

End of Chapter 1


	13. WEO Chapter 2

Without Each Other

Chapter 2

Another Job

**Note: **If you guys haven't noticed yet, I'm back and earlier than expected. Thank God. Anyway, I decided to change the schedule of this story to make things a little easier on myself. It'll now be released on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 12pm PST. So, thank you guys again for your patience and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

The train ride was long and endless for Natsu. His stomach was killing him and he knew that nothing was going to help at all. The trip to the city was quite a distance away so he was going to have to deal with the pain. As they sat there waiting, Lucy kept his head on her lap. She stroked through his hair and kept a smile on her face. Happy was too busy eating a fish to care about Natsu.

"Hey Natsu, how are you holding up," Happy asked with a mouthful of food.

"This is horrible. Why are you even asking me?"

"Oh, I just thought that it would make you feel better than I'm trying to care." Lucy was shocked. Happy was being more mean than usually, and during a very vulnerable moment in Natsu's life.

Out of nowhere, the train stopped in the middle of the tracks. Lucy and Happy looked out of the window and saw that there was nothing around them. They were in the middle of nowhere with nothing in sight. Lucy raised her hand to ask where they were. The conductor told her that that was as far as the train could go. He said that the train station ahead was overrun by bandits so he didn't want to take the rest. Incredibly, Natsu jumped up onto his feet, completely healthy.

"Well, I guess that means we can't use the train anymore. Let's grab our things and head off." Natsu grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder. "Let's go Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

"And you're perfectly fine?!" She watched the two of them walk off the train.

"Excuse me miss, but I think it is best that you get off too. We're about to head back." She sighed, grabbed her things, and walked off the train. The bell sounded and the train made its way back the way it came. Lucy watched it depart in sadness.

"But we're still far away. I don't think I can walk that far," she said with tears running down her face.

"Ah don't worry about that Lucy. If you get tired, I'll carry you. Anyway, it's getting late so we should probably find a good place to camp for the night. We're in the no rush." She smiled and caught up with the two of them.

After a few minutes, the three of them finally find a nice flat place to rest. They dropped their things on the ground and relaxed as the moon began to rise on another night. Happy gathered some fire wood and Natsu made a fire. The nights were always cold so Lucy scooted close to the fire to try and stay warm. As she breathed on her hands, Natsu came up behind her and threw a blanket on her back.

"Jeez, you're always cold."

"Sorry. Girls aren't very good with cold. How do you stay warm? All you wear is like clothing."

"Uhh, fire… dragon. Doesn't that make sense?" Lucy's face blanked.

"Whatever." Natsu stretched out his arms and fell onto his back.

"Ah, it feels so good to be back on the job."

"Didn't you already go on a job earlier?"

"I meant with you. The original team is finally back together." For some reason, this caused Lucy to blush. She looked at Natsu who was enjoying the night sky. She then looked over at Happy who was already fast asleep. Out of nowhere, she crawled up to Natsu and put her head on his chest.

"Yeah, it feels good to be back with the original team. Good night Natsu." She closed her eyes and quickly feel asleep. At first, he was caught off guard by Lucy's head, but didn't let it affect him. She was probably cold and was using him as a warmer or something. On the other hand, Natsu was restless. He couldn't go to sleep. He was still thinking about the job at hand and about all of the other ones he could do. He really enjoyed the Grand Magic Games, but it was definitely better being back to normal. He looked down at Lucy was sleeping peacefully on his chest. He smiled.

"Good night Lucy." The rest of the night was a pretty quiet one.

When morning came around, Natsu rose quickly and woke everyone up at the sight of the sun. Slowly, but surely, Lucy and Happy woke up. They were about a few hours away from the town so they decided to have a quick start to get there as fast as possible. During their walk, Lucy's face was a little red for she was thinking about last night and how she used Natsu's chest as a pillow. On the other hand, Natsu didn't show any signs of being bothered. Lucy looked at him and saw that he was acting as normal as could be which made her feel less awkward about the whole thing. As they continued to walk, Happy flew up next to Lucy and whispered in her ear.

"You lllllike him."

"Shut up!" Natsu turned around and saw that Lucy was full of rage.

"Hey, what's going on?" She quickly returned to normal.

"Haha nothing." She scratched the back of her neck.

"Okay. Let's hurry it up you guys. We should be there soon." He turned back around and quickened his pace. On the other hand, Lucy eyed Happy with a devilish look while Happy was snickering to himself without a care in the world.

They continued to walk for another couple of hours or so until they came across something interesting. Since Natsu was leading, he stopped suddenly and the other two bumped into each other.

"Hey, what's going?"

"Sshhh!" He put his hand over Lucy's mouth and they all dove behind a tree. Once they took cover, they peeped out from behind the tree to see what all the fuss was about. They saw a group of guys blocking the entrance to the town.

"What's that?"

"I don't know. It doesn't make sense that this town has like a checkpoint or whatever."

"It's probably the bandits the job was talking about."

"Good thinking Happy. Our next goal is how to get around them."

"Why don't we just bust through? That seems to be a thing with you."

"I know, but I get the feeling that there's more of them that we don't want to attract."

"But shouldn't we get rid of them at least?"

"Yeah, you do have a point." He pondered on this for a few seconds until an idea finally came to mind. "Alright I got it. We're gonna go stealth on these guys." Lucy couldn't help but butt in.

"Are you sure we should do that? Stealth isn't your strong suit."

"Lucy, trust me. This'll work. You and I will go up in the trees above them and Happy will strategically pick them up and I'll take care of the rest. It's simple." Natsu had a huge smile on his face, indicating that this was the best and only plan that they were going to use. Lucy sighed and sluggishly agreed to it. They quickly got into position and waited for Happy's part to start.

One by one, Happy grabbed each of the guards and threw them at Natsu where he took care of them. Surprisingly, they didn't set off any alarms and no one suspected anything suspicious. Lucy looked at Natsu who was still focused on the mission. He had an abnormal look of concentration on his face. She quickly followed behind him as they left the trees and surveyed the town from the outside. As they silently walked around, they came across someone who claimed to be from that town. They walked up to him and he explained the whole situation.

"What's going on?"

"Who are you?"

"We're Fairy Tail Wizards. We're here to help you."

"Oh thank goodness. Thank you so much."

"Anyway, what's happening?"

"Our town's been overrun by bandits and they're asking for a ransom or else they won't leave. We don't have the money that they are asking for so we found it best to stay out of sight and not bother them."

"So how are you going to pay us if we succeed?" Natsu and Lucy turned towards Happy.

"Happy?!"

"No, it's fine. In all honesty, we do have the money, but we can't give it to them. These bandits have a history a raiding small towns like ours and pillaging it all of its money, leaving it to rot. We can't let our town go through something like that."

"So you decided to endure what they're planning on doing to you?"

"Precisely." Natsu tightened his fist.

"These bastards, thinking they can get away with this. Don't worry, we'll get rid of these guys for you."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Don't worry about. Just gather as many people as you can and find somewhere safe to hide."

"Okay." Without another word, the man ran off to find other people. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy peeped into town and saw how many guys were actually there. At first glance, there was definitely a lot more of them than they first anticipated. Natsu was dying to finish these guys off. Lucy was panicking. Every single one of those guys was huge and worried that she wouldn't be able to do anything.

"Alright, so here's the plan. You and Happy will stay here and take out these guys. I'll go to the other side of town and take out the rest. You got it?"

"Aye sir."

"But what…"

"Don't worry Lucy. You'll be fine." Natsu stood up and walked off, but before he could, his shirt was pulled down. He looked behind him and saw Lucy holding on to him. "What's wrong?"

"What if something happens to you?" Natsu chuckled and knelt down in front of her.

"Don't worry about that. I'll be fine, and you'll be fine too. You got Loke and Aquarius and all those other guys. You'll be fine. If something does happen, I'll be there for you." He smiled and put his hand on top of her head as he stood up again and left the two of them alone. She watched him disappear from sight and could hear a soft noise behind her. It was Happy snickering to himself again.

"You lllllllike him."

"Stop it!" She looked back to where Natsu was before he disappeared. Do I? She slowly snapped out of her little trance and got into position with Happy right behind her. "You better watch my back."

"Don't worry Lucy. I got you." She took a deep breath and turned back to face the town. She scanned the place for Natsu's signal. It took her a couple of minutes to finally find where he was positioned. He was quite a ways away, but she was still able to see him. He waited a few minutes until the right moment to strike. Finally, the time arrived.

"Let's go Lucy!"

"Alright!"

End of Chapter 2

**Ending Note: **Sorry if these are seeming a little short. I'm been trying to plan out how this arc will go and it hasn't gone as smoothly as I hoped. However, I think I finally know where this will head so hopefully, they'll be longer and less rushed.


	14. WEO Chapter 3

Without Each Other

Chapter 3

Three against Many

**Note: **Sorry about the late update. I recently came home for the holiday season and couldn't get to my computer in time. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy and I wanna apologize in advance for the length. I wrote this late at night and couldn't come up with enough to make it seem like a good enough chapter.

"Go Lucy!"

"Aye!" The two of them charged out into the crowd of bandits and immediately started to wreak havoc over the place. "Loke! Virgo!" Out of nowhere, the two of them appeared out of thin air and started to attack the bandits.

"What?! How did that happen?!"

"She's a Celestial Spirit Wizard. Be careful with her." With the two of them by her side and her whip in hand, she didn't back down. The three of them took down their opponents left and right.

"Regulus Impact!" Loke punched the bandits square across the face, sending them crashing into the ground where they ended up falling in Virgo's holes where she finished the rest.

Just across the way, Natsu was creating his own form of chaos. It was difficult to find where he was because all they could see was a wall of fire. Lucy could hear his screams of fury as he quickly decreased his enemy's numbers. As she caught some quick glimpses of Natsu, she couldn't help but smile. This was Natsu's true environment. Once he was in the zone, nothing could defeat him.

Eventually, the situation started to change. The troops started to appear from all over the town and Lucy thought on her feet. She retracted Leo and Virgo and brought out Sagittarius and Aries. Sagittarius took out the distant opponents and Lucy used Aries' wool to serve as a guard from their attacks.

Things were going smoothly. The power of second origin was really helping in this situation. Lucy usually is never able to call upon 2 spirits back to back, but now, it's simple, and her spirits were enjoying it. They were glad to see Lucy finally exceeding their expectations.

As this was going on, Natsu continued to rain down the pain. His enemies couldn't even touch, he was so strong and so protected that it was literally impossible. Plus, these guys were pretty low-life bandits to begin with so it made his job a lot easier. Eventually, their numbers started to dwindle and they were running out of ideas.

"Sagittarius, how are you doing?"

"Perfectly fine, moshimoshi!"

"Aries?"

"I'm good. I'm sorry." Lucy smiled and continued to fight on when the unthinkable happened.

"Aaahhhh!" Her two gates shut out of nowhere. She suddenly looked around when she was kicked to the ground. Her keys were launched into the air and were snagged by another random guy. After she stopped rolling around on the ground, she looked up to see her keys in the possession of someone else.

"Well well well. Looks like we have a Celestial Spirit Mage in our grasp, gentlemen." The man looked around and saw most of his men on the ground in pain. "And it appears you're good enough to extinguish my men, but no worries." He walked to Lucy and grabbed her by the hair."

"Aaaahhhhh!" Natsu finished up his last opponent when he heard that scream.

"Lucy!" He ran at her, but immediately stopped.

"Move any closer, and she dies." Natsu saw that he had a knife to her throat. He gritted his teeth and fell on his knees, punching the ground around him. "That's right. You got nothing when in this position." Suddenly, two men came out of nowhere and walked up behind him, beating him down.

"Nnooo! Please stop!" the man gripped her hair even harder, causing her to scream out in pain.

"Shut up! This is what happens when you mess with me." She opened one eye.

"What did you do to my spirits?"

"Haha, it's quite simple. I shut their gate. Isn't it obvious?" Her eyes opened wide.

"That's impossible. No one should be able to do that."

"Maybe someone at your skill level. If you haven't noticed by now, I'm also a Celestial Spirit Mage. However, I'm far more superior to you. I can shut the gates according to my will and use them however I wish." She couldn't believe this. Celestial Spirits weren't meant to be used in this way, but this guy somehow was able to do the unthinkable. How? She looked back over at Natsu who was still being beaten by the other guys. Tears started to fall from her eyes for she knew that there was nothing left to do.

"Please stop this," she said softly. "I'll do anything. Just please leave him alone." He looked over sat his men and ordered them to stop.

"Hm, anything huh? That does sound like a good offer. I might take you up on that."

"Stop this Lucy!" They looked over at Natsu and saw that he quickly defeated the rest of his men. The leader was completely in shock and held the knife even closer to Lucy's throat. "You coward! How about you fight for real instead this hostage bull crap?"

"That really isn't my style, and lucky for you, you're pushing it boy. I'm this close to ending this girl's life. So I'll give this choice. Stand down and don't pursue us or watch your beloved friend die." Natsu looked at Lucy and saw that she was in pain. He nodded subtly to her and she got the message. "So, what's it gonna be, hothead?" Natsu clenched his fists as tight as he could and lit his body on fire. Out of nowhere, Lucy threw his arm off of her neck and jumped away.

"Horolgium!"

Ding dong! Horologium appeared just in time and put her inside of him.

"Do it Natsu!"

"Gate of the Lion, I open thee!" Loke appeared in front of him. "Kill him!"

"Sorry, but I have only one contract, and it's with Lucy. But I can do this." He turned around and punched the leader square in the face, giving Natsu a clear opening. "Get him Natsu!"

"Aaaahhhhh! Karyuu no Tekken!" His fist nailed him square in the gut and sent him flying a ways away. "You're not getting away this easily." Natsu ran at him with even more ferocity. The fire around his body was almost too bright to look at. Natsu grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the air. "Karyuu no Houko!"

"Aaaahhhh!" His body was completely surrounded by fire for Natsu's breath was dead on. However, he wasn't done yet. As he body slowly made its way back to the earth, Natsu continued to attack. His body turned white and Lucy was completely confused.

"What's happening?"

"Full magic power released. Metsuryuu Ougi Shiranui Gata! Guren Hououken!" His body launched into the air and head-butted his enemy's.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" Natsu screamed as he continued to send his body flying through the air. As he finally reached the climax of the attack, the fire exploded and sent him flying away. Meanwhile, Lucy was speechless. She didn't even know that Natsu could do something like that. He finally returned to the ground and walked to Lucy. Horologium's job was done and returned to the Celestial Spirit World. He picked up her keys and handed it to her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. How did you do that?"

"What?"

"Your magic power was incredible. Were you also using Second Origin?"

"Of course. That was the best way to end that guy."

"Well thank you." Natsu stuck out his hand and reached for Lucy.

"Haha, at that matters is that we're both okay, right?" Lucy looked at Natsu and he had bruises all over his body.

"You don't look so good."

"What are you talking about? I'm totally fine." And just like that, he collapsed into Lucy's arms, completely unconscious.

End of Chapter 3


	15. WEO Chapter 4

Without Each Other

Chapter 4

The Truth

**Note: **Sorry about the previous chapter and how it was so short. If you guys haven't noticed by now, this arc isn't a very long one, but I promise that the remaining chapters will be of normal length. Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying the story.

"So will he be alright?"

"Well, I'm not too familiar with magic, but it seems like he exhausted his magic power. From the description you gave me, it definitely seems that he was doing a lot. Just give it some time, I'm certain he'll come to." The doctor took his leave and left Happy and Lucy alone.

"Wow, I didn't know he could do this. Even with Second Origin, he overdid it."

"Yeah, but he was incredible. I could never do anything like that."

"Don't think like that Lucy. Everyone has their own special quality. His is strength and determination. You're more passionate and caring. Don't take yourself so lightly. That's what makes Fairy Tail so special." Out of nowhere, a tear fell from her eye and she quickly wiped it away.

"Thank you Happy. That was really sweet."

"Aye sir." She looked back down at Natsu who resting peacefully. She felt his forehead which was slowly starting to return to normal temperature. "Hey Lucy, I'm gonna go get something to eat. Would you like anything?"

"No thank you. Go out and take your time." Happy sprouted his wings and flew out of the room. When he left, Lucy stood up and shut the door behind him, making sure that he wouldn't be able to get back in for a while. She returned to her seat beside Natsu and looked at him with such concern.

He looked so peaceful, but so vulnerable. The last time he was like this was when he ate the Etherion at the Tower of Heaven. She didn't know what to do. The only thing she could do was sit there and hope that he would get better.

"Gosh Natsu, you're incredible. I don't even know how you do it." She looked at him again and smiled. "You know, you've saved me again. This makes it another time compared to countless other times. Thank you Natsu. I can't say it any more than I already have. Why do you do it? How can you bring yourself to constantly save me? The more you do it, the more I have to owe you." She looked at the front door and heard that no one was coming. She got off of her chair and sat down on the bed next to him. "I don't know why it keeps coming to my head, but I've been thinking about that day you wanted to talk to me about something. All day, I thought you were gonna confess your feeling for me and I was so worried that something bad might happen. But then, nothing did happened. Haha, funny isn't it?" Natsu was still motionless. "To be completely honest… I… I really like you. I've felt this way for so long, but I haven't been honest with myself. I don't know why I can't. You're always so open and caring towards me. I just can't seem to give it back to you. I'm sorry."

She placed her hand on top of his. It was still warm and he still wasn't moving.

"I… I think I love you. I've had this feeling ever since Tenroujima. I know I don't show it and I don't try to show it, but I really think I do." Suddenly, Lucy started to cry. Her tears feel onto Natsu's body. She didn't even know why this was happening, but she let it go. She was finally being honest to herself, even though she was pretty much talking to herself. She closed her eyes to try and slow the tears when she suddenly felt something touch her hand. She opened her eyes and saw Natsu's other hand on top of hers. He turned his head slowly and creaked open his eyes.

"Don't worry Lucy. I know." She was completely shocked. Was he listening the entire time?

"Natsu? Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine. Never felt better," he said with a smile.

"Um, did you… did you hear that?"

"Why? Are you ashamed you said what you did?"

"No, it's just… I wanted to tell you in better conditions. Not when you're barely able."

"No, it's fine. See." Natsu struggled to sit up and after a few seconds, he was able to get off of his back and sat up. Suddenly, Lucy shoved her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around him as she started to cry again.

"How? How can you be strong and not let these things affect you? Why?" He wrapped his arms around her body and squeezed tight.

"Lucy, it's quite the opposite. Those things I've been through, the things we've all been through; I keep them deep in my heart. Not a day goes by where I forget about the things we've experienced, the things we've lost. They're all etched in my heart and soul. You say I'm strong and can't be affected by anything, but it's quite the opposite. I'm as vulnerable as anyone else in our guild. I just choose not to show it so everyone else can feel confident about themselves. I do it so you can feel safe." Lucy pulled away right as he said that.

"Me? You do it for me?"

"Of course. You're my teammate, after all."

"Yeah, but, the stuff I said earlier. Do you feel the same way?" There was a slight pause in their conversation. "It's okay if you don't want to answer. I just wanted you to know how I feel." She dropped her head.

"Lucy, I feel the same way." She slowly raised her head at that comment. "What I say is true, but I choose to not show it because I don't want anyone to know."

"Oh, so you're ashamed?"

"No, of course not! I don't want anyone to know because I don't want your life in any more danger than it already is or will be. I know it seems bad, but I care about you. Having people know I care about you isn't worth putting your life at risk. I think it's better this way."

"I… I guess you're right."

"I'm sorry Lucy. I really do want to show you that I care about you, but you're too important to take that risk."

"Then can we do it just this once?"

"Do what?" It was too late. Lucy inched her face closer to his until finally, their lips met each other's. At first, Natsu was surprised that she was doing this, but didn't worry about after he realized what she was talking about. Together, they shared this moment for a few more seconds until Lucy finally pulled away. Her eyes were still closed as her hands were still holding Natsu's face.

"Hey Lucy, I'm back." The two of them didn't move from their position. Lucy decided that it was best for Happy to know what was happening. She decided that he was trustworthy enough to not spread their secret.

When Happy came back in, they told him everything that went on and he completely understood. He promised to keep their secret, but gave Lucy a nudge with the "I told you" look. By now, Natsu regained his strength and kicked out his legs from the bed and tried to stand up. Lucy and Happy helped him get back on his feet. Surprisingly, he was able to walk around like he wasn't injured or exhausted. They grabbed his things and walked out of the doctor's room. Right as they walked out, the town surrounded the building to congratulate them on their success.

"Fairy Tail, we would like to thank you for ridding our town of those horrible bandits. So as promised, the reward of $1,000,000 belongs to you." A couple of people brought them the money and presented it as grand as possible. They were still speechless. "And, we would also like to present you with this." From behind, another couple of people appeared before them with the key to the city in hand. "This now belongs to you."

"Oh no, please, this too much. We don't deserve this."

"Yeah, you people are too kind."

"We can't accept this. We want you to have this. You've solved such a big problem for this town in such a quick fashion. These are your gifts so we hope that you'll accept them with open arms." Lucy, Natsu, and Happy looked at each other in speculation until they finally decided to accept their gifts. They decided to stay a bit and enjoy the company of the townspeople. When they day grew late, they grabbed their things, thank everyone for their hospitality, and departed back home.

As they headed home, the three of them were pretty quiet. They didn't say a lot to each other, but they all knew that they were happy to be with each other. To their surprise, Natsu insisted that they take a train back to the guild. At first, Lucy and Happy were bewildered. However, Natsu was being completely serious. His face didn't show any signs of messing around so they headed to the nearest train station.

When they boarded, everything was as normal as could be. When the train started, that's when things started to truly feel like home. Natsu immediately felt sick to the stomach and the other two were happy that they didn't have to walk home. Lucy kept his head on her lap with a smile on her face. This time, Happy actually showed some concern for Natsu and stayed by his side as well. Thankfully, by taking the train, the trip was pretty short and they arrived back at the guild just as night fell over Magnolia.

The three of them slowly made their way to the guild as Natsu was slowly recovering from the train ride. When they made it back to the guild, everyone welcomed them back as usually, but showed more interest than usual. It was because they had all the gifts from the town and Natsu still looked kind of sick. Everyone asked them how it went and what they got as a reward. Unable to hide the truth, the three of them showed their gifts and everyone immediately felt jealous.

Once things cooled down, they made their way over to Mirajane where they gave her the results of their job. She also gave them her congratulations. Still, everyone was interested in their job which caused everyone to get separated from each other. The night felt as long as ever until everyone finally started to lose interest.

Lucy looked around to try and find Natsu, but he was nowhere to be seen. She asked around and no one knew where he was. She grew a little saddened and decided to head home for the day. As she walked home alone, she kept thinking about what happened between the two of them. She got a little red at the thought of Natsu actually liking her back. She never would have realized that something like this would happen. Unfortunately, what he said about them was also true. She knew that it was better this way. Just the thought of it being true made things so much better.

When she got home, she turned on the lights and lazily walked through her apartment where she was surprised yet again. Natsu was sleeping in her bed, completely knocked out. Normally, she would have freaked out by now, but she decided to let it go. She headed to the bathroom and got ready for bed. After she was done, she saw that he was still resting peacefully and decided to do something daring. She turned off the lights and crawled up behind him, putting her arm around his body. He was still warm which made things even better. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night Natsu." She rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. As she slowly started to fall asleep, one more thought came to her head.

I don't care if we can't truly be together. As long we both know it, that's all that matters because after all, he'll always be there to protect me and I'll always be there to comfort him.

End of Without Each Other

**Ending Note: **Sorry if this arc was short. It came to me s suddenly and I really wanted to write about it. I'm a huge supporter of NaLu, but I also try to accept the reality of the show. If there are other ships that you guys want me to explore, be sure to leave a comment and I'll try my best to get on it. Unfortunately, I don't have anything new in the works right now so I'll have to put out so more fillers. Also, if there's anything small that you want to read about, comment and I'll see what I can do. I'm enjoying this story a lot and I want to make you guys happy. Anyway, thanks for the support and more chapters will come out.


	16. Our Past

Our Past

**Note: **Sorry about yesterday, I was really busy with family stuff and couldn't get to my computer, but things will resume back on Thursday. Unfortunately, I don't have anything planned right now so it might be awhile until another arc comes out. I'm gonna try my best to come up with something, but until that time, I hope you guys can enjoy these short little fillers. Just a quick note, this one takes place right after the previous arc. Thanks you guys.

The next day, Natsu and Lucy made their way back to the guild where it was as lively as ever. Everyone was there which was surprising since the Grand Magic Games ended a few days ago and the requests have been piling up. When everyone was finally in the guild hall, Makarov took to the stage. Everyone cheered him on until he finally asked for silence.

"First off, I want to thank of representatives who gave us the victory in the games." Immediately, everyone cheered. Erza, Laxus, Gray, Gajeel, and Juvia couldn't help but smile as this acknowledgement. "Also, I want to thank everyone else for your incredible efforts against the dragons. It was a dire situation, but you all pulled your weight and we were able to survive." Again, everyone raised their glasses and cheered. "Alright, alright, everyone settle down. Now, I know that we all want to get out there and complete some jobs, but I think we've all forgotten what today is." Everyone looked around at each other in confusion. "Today is our job-free day as a guild! Let's party!" The entire guild turned upside-down. Everyone was so happy and nothing was safe. Everything was everywhere.

Even though there were some who didn't want to go crazy, they couldn't help but smile and have a great time. Of course, Natsu and Gray were mixing it up like old times and when this happened, Gajeel couldn't help but jump in as well. It was all fun until the three of them bumped into Erza while she was eating her strawberry cake. When this happened, it was all over. The three of them ended up face-first into the ground, completely knocked out.

For those who were watching, this always brought a smile to their faces. Things couldn't have gotten any better even though most days at the guild were always like this. As it continued, things didn't settle down at all. If anything, it got crazier as time went on. Looking for a break, Natsu finally left the scene of the crime and took a seat.

"You okay?" He looked behind him and saw Lisanna standing right there.

"Oh, hey Lisanna. Yeah, I'm good. Gosh, I love it here." She smiled and continued to look at him.

"Hey Natsu, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Um, would you mind coming with me for a second?"

"Of course." He stood up where Lisanna grabbed his hand and pulled him along. As they headed to the front door, Lucy saw them leave together and was kind of suspicious. However, she let it go and the two of them disappeared from sight. As they walked through town, Natsu asked her where they were going and she just told him to be patient.

They continued to walk further away from town and the more the area seemed to get familiar. There were no more buildings, only grassland. Further and further, the two of them approached a small little hut and immediately, Natsu knew where they were.

"What's going on?" She let go of his hand and continued to walk towards the grass hut. She crouched down and looked inside when all of those old memories came back into her head. She smiled and turned around to face him.

"I was just thinking about the things we did when we were kids. You remember right?"

"Of course. You and I found Happy and raised him together."

"Yeah, that was fun." She smiled, but something else was on her mind. She was wondering if it was the right moment to talk about. She looked at Natsu and he was exploring the area to bring the memories back to his head. Her eyes also wandered and saw something in front of the hut. She walked around it and saw that it said her name on it. A bushel of old flowers were resting at the base of the gravestone.

"Is this… my grave?" Natsu's eyes opened wide and turned around to see Lisanna looking at the grave her made for her.

"Yeah," he said nervously. "Your death was really hard on me and I knew you'd want to be here as well so I placed it here. So you would always come and visit me." A tear fell from her eye.

"Thank you Natsu. This is so sweet of you. I always did love it here."

"Yeah you did."

"Natsu, do you remember that promise we made?" His eyes widened again. He knew what she was talking about, but all of that stuff he and Lucy shared couldn't be taken back. He took a deep breath and looked right at Lisanna.

"I do."

"What do you think of it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Um, I don't… I'm not…" Lisanna noticed him struggling to answer the question and stopped him before he could answer. She put her hand on his shoulder which shut him up.

"It's alright. I understand."

"Lisanna, I…"

"Don't worry about it Natsu. I completely understand."

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I constantly thought about you ever since you died. It's not that I don't love you, it's just…" He sighed and dropped his head. She walked towards him and lifted his head back up. Out of nowhere, she kissed him on the lips.

"Like I said, I understand. It's okay. Times change and you've been through a lot. You're perfectly fine."

"I feel horrible. We were so close when we were kids and I was honest about that promise. How can you be so calm about this?"

"Because you already have someone you love, and it isn't me." His eyes widened.

"I do?" She sighed.

"Of course you do. I've seen it this entire time I came back here." He took a big gulp. "I see the way she looks at you. She really loves you. Lucy's a lucky girl." She knew. He fell onto his butt and sighed.

"Alright, you're right. It's true."

"So how do you feel about it?" He was confused. Just recently did they share their feelings about each other and mutually agreed that they couldn't really be a thing.

"The truth is that we do share feeling, but it's best that nothing happens."

"Why?"

"Because I care about her too much. If we were to be a thing, that would us at risk, it would put her at risk. I don't want that to happen when we already get in sticky situations all the time. We both know how we feel about each other, but it's better this way." He dropped his head again.

"I see." She looked into the horizon and took a deep breath. "I respect your decision. It's very wise of you. You've always been so caring of everyone you know. Lucy is a lucky girl." He didn't know how to answer that.

"I promise to protect everyone, not just her. That's all part of being a part of this guild. We care for each other and let nothing tear us apart." She smiled.

"Sounds like a promise. Just know that you will always be my first love." He smiled back.

"And you will always be mine." He wrapped his arm around her body and she slipped into his. Together, they watched the sun set and later returned to the guild where it was as busy as the way the left it. Lucy was also still there and saw them walk back in. Natsu and Lisanna parted ways and Natsu headed towards her.

"Hey, what happened?"

"Just something we had to clear up. Why? We're you worried about me?" She started to blush.

"No, of course not. What are you talking about?"

"Calm down Lucy. It was just a joke." She pumped him in the shoulder and they laughed it out. The guild was as lively as always all throughout the night. When the night grew really late, everyone went home. Natsu and Happy went back to their house and Lucy went back to her apartment as if nothing ever happened between the two of them.

End of Our Past


	17. The Founder and the Grandson

The Founder and the Grandson

Tenroujima has finally been restored and everyone is slowly returning back to their normal lives. Of course, everyone who was left behind couldn't stop talking with the Tenrou people. They were the life of the party and everyone was genuinely missed. Everyone talked with everyone and so many tears were shed; however, it wasn't for sadness, but joy. They could finally rebuild their guild after so long.

Among the people were trapped in time, Laxus took his time returning to the guild. Surprisingly, he was able to the Raijinshuu off of his back. He traveled through town and examined everything carefully. It seemed as if he wasn't even gone. Everything was right where it should be and nothing felt different. As he made his way through the town, he saw the guild building of Twilight Guild. The building was so grim and everyone hanging around it was a trash heap. Just the sight of it nearly made him sick.

He quickly retracted his eyes and went to the guild. Although he was let back in, it didn't really seem like it yet. Thanks to Erza and his efforts against Acnologia, he was accepted back with open arms.

When he made his way up the hill, he saw the guild building and was completely shocked. The building was the exact same one as the one he left during the battle for Fairy Tail. No one was around so he was kind of confused. He slowly walked into the building and was confused again. The building was completely dusty and filled with spiderwebs.

"What the hell? Gramps… Natsu… Where are you guys?!" He looked around and no one was there. The place was dark and completely quiet. He walked around the place and checked everything out. The counters were are normal. The sitting area was normal. The second floor was normal. Why did everything look this?

Suddenly, huge monsters broke through the walls, running right at him. He got low and electrocuted his entire body.

"Begone!" He threw his arm at the beasts and launched a lightning bolt right at him. However, the most unexpected thing happened. The lightning bolt phased through the monsters as if they were ghosts and the entire guild started to fade away into nothingness. He was so confused. He continued to look around until he noticed someone standing right in front of him.

"Hello Laxus." He widened his eyes and knelt down in front of her.

"First Master." He bowed his head. "Why are you here?"

"Haha, I came to check on how things are doing."

"Well, what happened to the guild?"

"It's still here. I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay, what's up?" Out of nowhere, a tree log appeared behind her and she sat down on top of it. She tapped the seat next to her, indicating that she wants him to sit next to her.

"So, what brought you to Tenroujima?"

"I was just passing by on my travels and something looked out of the ordinary so I decided to check out what was happening."

"But you know that Tenroujima is sacred to only its guild members."

"I do."

"So what was your true purpose?" He sighed.

"I wanted to visit your grave. I was hoping you'd give me some advice." He looked at her and she had on the face of question. She was a people person and could easily tell that he was lying. "Okay, alright. Makarov called out to me in desperation. I couldn't ignore it even if I was suspended."

"Uh huh. And why were you suspended?"

"I tried to claim Fairy Tail for myself," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you."

"I tried to claim Fairy Tail for myself!"

"And why did you do that?" It was becoming harder and harder to answer her questions. For some reason, with each question, Laxus kept digging a bigger hole for himself. He tried not to ask why she was doing this because he knows that the First Master always has a reason for everything she does.

"I… I felt that I could make the stronger. The things I witnessed as I stayed with the guild made me feel that we weren't strong enough. At the time, I felt that Gramps wasn't an appropriate master for Fairy Tail. I thought that he had trailed away from your guidance and I just wanted to turn things around." He dropped his head in sadness. Listening to his own words pained him to the core. It made him realize the evils that he committed.

"Laxus, do you know why I made this guild?" He shook his head while trying to hold back the tears. "When I was a child, the world was darker than you could possibly imagine. I always kept a strong heart and a happy head. That's when Fairy Tail came to my mind. I formed with my fellow founders to stand as a symbol of hope and peace in a world of fear. Slowly but surely, my dream came true and this is the result of all our hard work." She looked at Laxus and he was still covering his eyes. "I know you care about strength and Makarov does too. He just doesn't show it. Everything he's done has been for the sake of his guild members, his family. I also understand that he won't ever fully trust you again because of what you did, but I know that there is still a way for you to be a part of this guild." He finally looked up.

"How?"

"Protect this guild and protect your family with all of your heart."

"Will that work?"

"If you show everyone that you'll protect this guild no matter what, that slight hate will slowly vanish. I promise."

"First Master, how can you be so calm about this? I would think you'd be mad since you're the one who built and left a legacy in it."

"We all move on in our lives. As long as we remember those important things, nothing else matters." She stood up and breathed in the fresh air. Laxus was still moping to himself. "Laxus, look at me." He raised his head and her finger gently touched his forehead. Suddenly, a flood of images stormed his mind. Nearly everything that Mavis went through flowed through his brain. All of the good and all of the bad stuff she went through, he knew about. After a few more seconds, the images finally stopped and he took a deep breath.

"What was that?"

"Not everyone goes through life with ease. I, myself, did some things that I'm not proud of. However, Fairy Tail is what keeps me in the present. I use this as a cleanser. I know the things I did were wrong, but if I let that continue to occupy my life, I can never move on. That is my task for you. Forget about the past and start anew." He continued to look at her and she had the cutest little smile on her face. He smiled back and dropped his head once again.

"Mavis, I…" He looked up and she was gone. He stood up and looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. He left the area and tried to find the guild.

After some time, he made his way up a small hill and came across the guild building. Automatically, he knew that that was the right place because everyone was everywhere. The guild was looking as lively as could be. Everyone greeted him as he walked into the building. The place was so small, but everyone still looked happy.

"Laxus!" Natsu cried out his name and ran towards him. "Fight me!" Ding! In one hit, Laxus hit him into the ground.

"Not right now, Natsu. Maybe later." Lucy, Gray, and Erza welcomed him back as walked further into the guild until he finally made it to the where Makarov was sitting. He took off his coat and knelt down in front of him.

"Gramps, I apologize for what I did, but I believe I'm ready to truly serve this guild to the best of my ability." He looked at Laxus who had his head down the entire time. He didn't look up and voice didn't quiver. He was being honest.

"Hmm, consider this your second and last chance Laxus. Step out of line one more time and I can no longer call you my grandson." He jumped off the counter and grabbed the guild insignia. Laxus raised his shirt and Makarov returned his guild mark to him. "Welcome back, Laxus."

"Thank you, Master." Without another word, Makarov walked off without saying another word to him. Laxus returned to his feet and turned around to see everyone watching what had happened. Out of nowhere, the Raijinshuu tackled Laxus to the ground.

"Laxus, we're so happy that you're back."

"Never leave us again."

"We've missed you so much."

"Alright, alright. Give me some space. We just got back." He somehow managed to get them off of him and Wendy approached him with nervousness.

"Um, hi, I'm Wendy. I'm new and Natsu-san tells me that you're a Dragon Slayer."

"Hello Wendy, I'm Laxus. What kind of magic do you use?"

"I'm… I'm a Dragon Slayer as well." What? This little girl was a Dragon Slayer?

"What's your element?"

"I'm the Sky Dragon Slayer." Again, he was shocked. He couldn't believe it. That makes 4 Dragon Slayers in one guild. He couldn't help but think about the strength thing we was talking about. The strongest kind of wizards are said to be Dragon Slayers and here, there are 4 of them. It almost seemed like a dream. He rubbed her head and walked off.

"Good luck, Wendy. I'll be sure to keep watch on you." The normal group watched him walk out of the guild.

"Hm, Laxus seems a bit off."

"That's what I was thinking. Did something happen?"

"Aside from him being accepted back into the guild, not really." They watched as he made his way outside and disappeared from sight. When he made it outside, a faint voice came to his head.

"You're taking your first step now. And don't worry, I'll be watching over you." He closed his eyes peacefully. It was Mavis.

End of The Founder and the Grandson


	18. My One and Only Master

My One and Only Master

**Note: **I'm developing a new arc right now, but it's nowhere close to being finished yet so I'm going to have to wait a bit before giving it to you guys. Don't worry, I'll still keep updating this story with enjoyable short stories. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.

"Aaaaahhhhhhh!" Gray squirmed in his bed as he was experiencing a nightmare. Out of nowhere, Ur ran into his room and woke him up. He opened his eyes and jumped in her arms.

"It's okay. I'm here. It's all over now." Tears ran down his face and he screamed out in pain. She hugged him tight and ran her fingers through his hair.

"It was the same nightmare." He was talking about the day his town was destroyed by the demon Deliora. It keeps coming back to his mind and it scares him because he was there to witness everything. Luckily, Ur came in time and saved him from the destruction.

"So you still can't forget about it?"

"No, it's impossible."

"Well, I vowed to train you so you can rid yourself of that fear. I'm also hear to protect you and I will never go back on my word." He looked up at her and she was looking down at him with a smile. "Well, since you're already up, let's train."

"Eh? But, it's still dark outside."

"Ice never rests. Come on." She stuck out her arm and he took it without another word. They walked outside and she immediately stripped down to her underwear.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"What? We're training."

"Put your clothes back on."

"No, you have to adapt to the weather conditions in order to be one with cold."

"What does that even mean?"

"You'll understand in time. Now take off your clothes." Gray's face turned bright red and was completely speechless. "Come on, do it. Don't make me do it for you." He quickly removed his clothes down to his underwear and immediately started to shiver. He wrapped his arms around his body and stood there motionless next to Ur.

"So what are we doing now?"

"Haha, we're gonna run now." Immediately, Ur took off while Gray behind.

"Hey, wait!" He started to run and tried to catch up.

For the next few weeks, that was mostly everything the two of them did. Ur focused on making Gray accustomed to the cold. Thankfully, it didn't take him that long. One day when they running, they came across a little boy who was all by himself. The two of them stopped in front of him and stayed awhile.

"Hello there, what's your name?"

Sniffling, "Lyon."

"Lyon, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Something happened to my village and it was completely destroyed." Immediately, Gray and Ur knew who he was talking about."

"So where's your family?"

"Dead." Ur knelt down in front of him and took his hand.

"Would you like to join us? We're just having some fun." At first, he was kind of confused because the two of them were in their underwear. Gray didn't look too happy, but Ur had such a radiant glow and easily attracted Lyon to the group. He quickly removed his clothes and ran off with them to do the infinite things she promised.

More time went by and Ur finally started to teach the two of them magic. Her first lesson, of course, was the origin of the power of ice. She said that it can develop in the warmest places of their hearts. The two of them didn't get it at first, but she gradually talk to them more. After that, it was all about technique. The only way to make the strongest ice was with two hands. Perfect that technique and nothing can break it. Put their wills into their creations and the possibilities would be endless.

Unfortunately, it took Gray a longer time to get than it did for Lyon. He constantly struggled and he let it get the best of him. Ur reassured him that it always takes time, but Lyon had no troubles at all. Ever since the beginning, Gray never liked Lyon. Something about him made Gray not like him,

The three of them continued to train hard until they were finally ready. Ur told them to attack her head-on and they voluntarily fought her to the best of their ability. Thinking on their toes, they decided to ambush her from both sides.

However, that tactic didn't work. She created two columns that shot out from opposite sides, knocking Gray and Lyon back a few feet away from her. Recovering from her attack, Gray created multiple lances and Lyon launched multiple birds at her. Incredibly, a shield popped up right in front of her, completely blocking their attacks. She retracted the shield and saw the two of them run at her. She threw her arms up and encased Gray's body in ice, leaving only his head to move. That left Lyon to fend for himself.

As he neared her, she saw something different in his eye. It was almost like he wasn't even her student. He screamed as loud as he could, creating a huge bear to attack her head-on. When it reached her, it looked as if his attack worked, but it quickly burst into little pieces and a huge wave of snow came flying at him, knocking him away onto his stomach.

"Very good. The both of you. You've improved a lot." She pointed her arm at Gray and he was set free from the ice. However, Lyon wasn't finished. He stood up and continued to run at her. "Lyon, that's enough." He didn't answer. He just ran at her with his hands in the position to attack.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" A snake appeared out of thin air and it flew towards her. She aimed her arm right into its mouth and exploded, sending pieces of ice everywhere. Immediately after that, endless amounts of ice shards flew at Lyon. He quickly rolled out of the way and landed on his stomach. When he looked up, his hands and legs were iced to the ground and he couldn't move. Then, a small spear emerged from the ground and pointed right at Lyon.

"I said that was enough." He looked at her dead in the eye and surrounded. She released the ice and he walked off alone in anger. Gray and Ur watched him and he stomped off with saying another word.

The days continued to go on and Lyon continued to grow apart Ur and Gray. He started to act rebellious at times and sometimes didn't even listen to Ur. The three eventually packed up their things and headed off to travel the world. When they did, the first town that came across did not have a pretty sight. The demon Deliora was there wreaking havoc. Ur told them to stand back, but before she could, Lyon walked out into town and tried to confront Deliora.

"Lyon, get back here now!" He didn't listen. He started to attack it, but nothing worked against him. He swung at him and he nearly missed his attack. He landed right next to Gray. Gray looked down and knew that this was his time to shine. He walked forward and confronted Deliora. He positioned his hands, ready to fight, but he swiped at him before he could. When he crashed against the ground, the two of them looked up to see Ur walking towards Deliora. "You two stay back."

"Ur, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna defeat this demon."

"No, I'm gonna be the one to defeat him."

"Enough! I don't wanna hear it from you Lyon. I want you and Gray to get as far away from here as you can."

"But you can't! You need to come with us." She looked back and smiled at Gray.

"I have to do this. I promised to rid your darkness, and that's what I'm gonna do." She lowered her body and crossed her arms. A cold wind surrounded her body and a huge magic circle emerged from beneath her body.

"Wait, you can't do this. You'll die if you cast that spell."

"If it means bringing you peace, I'll be more than happy to give my life."

"Nnnoooooo!" Lyon grabbed Gray by the arm and pulled him up off the ground.

"Enough of this. We should listen to her." Gray looked at him with confusion. He was actually listening to Ur's instructions. They stood up and ran away. As they did, Gray looked back one more time to see executing the spell.

"Iced Shell!" She swung her arms and Deliora's body slowly start to encase in ice. As it did, her body turned to ice. She looked back to see Gray looking at her. She smiled one last time and faded into the air.

"Nnnnnnoooooooo!"

…

"Gray-sama?" Gray widened his eyes. Apparently, he dazed off for a bit and Juvia asked him a question. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." She looked at him and he was looking down at the table. She put her hand on top of his and he immediately felt a familiar sensation. Ur? He looked to his side, but it was Juvia. He put his other hand on top of hers and she immediately blushed.

"Gray-sama, it's too early for this."

"Juvia, I'm fine."

End of My One and Only Master


	19. The Queen's Armor Chapter 1

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 1

The First Armor

**Note: **So through a lot of time, effort, and pain killer, I've finally gotten a good start on this new arc. I really hope you guys like it because I was really excited to write about it. Just a note that this is completely imaginative so if you have any suggestions about the story, please feel free to leave a comment below and future chapters because I think you guys'll understand what this arc will be about. Anyway, enjoy and I hope you're all having a great holiday season.

Erza is no longer a child and she's finally discovered her true power. She learned that she has the ability to re-quip herself into different outfits. Thanks to the help of Makarov and Mystogan, they were able to truly discover her true potential. Unfortunately for Erza, she wasn't quite sure on what to do with this kind of magic ability. She was always fond of a sword when she was a child, but now that she knows what she can do, she's unsure of what to do.After a great deal of thinking, Makarov finally knew what to do. He called her to the back of the guild one very special day.

"Erza, would you mind coming with me for a second?"

"Of course." She followed Makarov into the storage area of the guild and to her surprise, it was pretty clean. There was no dust or spider webs. It looked as if it was cleaned every day. They made their way to the back of the storage to a large dresser where Makarov stopped in front of it. "What's this?"

"It took me some time, but I finally figured out a good way to use your magic. When I joined this guild, there was a young lady who also had the same kind of magic as you. She was incredibly strong and such an important part of this guild. But before she retired, she left this guild with a gift and I think that you should have it." He opened up the dresser and inside, was a beautiful piece of clothing.

It was a long, titanium dress with two swords placed right next to it. There was also a note that he gladly read to her.

"_I leave this armor in the hands of Fairy Tail in hopes that you will find someone worthy of beholding this armor. Its name is Heaven's Wheel and it's one of the strongest kinds of armor in existence. You'll see that there two swords at your disposal, but this armor allows the wearer to create endless amounts. It all depends on your magic ability. So, if you're reading this, that means that you are capable of such a task. All I ask is that you wear this pride and use to show others your strength and confidence as a woman. Good luck."_

"So this is for me?" He nodded his head.

"Magic users of this ability also have a storage system that they can use to hold everything they come across. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do that, but you're a smart woman so I trust that you'll understand how to work it. Anyway, you wanna try it on?" Erza was a little hesitant, but quickly went to put it on. Incredibly, they armor lit up and disappeared, reappearing onto Erza's body. "Hmm, it seems to really like you."

"Wow, this is beautiful. So she really used this?"

"Of course. This was her signature armor. Its capabilities are endless." Erza smiled and grabbed the two swords and grasped them in her hand.

"These feel really powerful, but they're also kind of heavy."

"Don't worry about that. In time, you'll get used to them and understand its power. For now, spend some time getting to know it better."

"Okay, thank you so much Master!" She grabbed Master off the ground and spun him around while hugging him as tight as she could.

"Okay Erza, now get out there and work your magic." She quickly grabbed the note from his hand and ran out of the building.

When she made it out, she ran around, trying to find somewhere with a lot of room so she could explore her new possession. After a few minutes, she found an open field with a lot of room. She ran and jumped around to test the mobility of the armor and it was surprisingly mobile. She did a little spin around to see if she noticed anything new and saw that there were wings on it. Could she actually fly? She took a deep breath, bent her knees, and jumped.

Incredibly, she took flight on her first try. She looked down on the ground she used to stand on and smiled big. She couldn't believe what was happening. This was her first real experiment with magic and it was going smoothly. After a few more minutes, she finally returned to the ground and took another deep breath.

"This is incredible." She looked down at her swords. She examined it carefully and noticed that it was completely matching her armor. They were completely silver with a hint of blue rhinestones at the top of the hilt. Another smile came to her face as the armor started to feel more and more like her.

She took out the note again and read it more carefully. It said that she could create more swords with her own magic ability. She stabbed the swords into the ground and closed her eyes. She did her best to concentrate on what she wanted and after a few seconds, a sword magically appeared before her. She opened her eyes and saw three swords in front of her.

"No way." She closed her eyes again and did the same thing. This time, two more swords appeared. She opened her eyes and covered her mouth. The unthinkable was happening for her and she still couldn't believe it. She turned her head and another sword appeared out of nowhere. She turned again and another appeared. She slowly raised her arms into the air and about 10 more swords appeared around her. "Wow, there are now words for this moment."

As time went on, she began to get more creative with the more. She worked on her swordplay and experimented on some of the things she could do with the armor. She figured out that she could control the sword with her will. She bounced around and swung her swords everywhere, while her swords were flying around all over the place.

Finally, her magic slowly started to run out after a few hours of continuous use. The swords slowly started to disappear and her armor vanished. She was so sad about that, but then, something else happened. A lacrima screen appeared in front of her, telling her that her armor has been stored in her inventory.

"I have an inventory?" She clicked on the information and it told her that as long as she owns a piece of armor, she could store in there. Her mind was constantly being blown. The things she was discovering just didn't seem to end.

"So, how have things been going Erza?" She turned around to see Makarov walking towards her.

"Master, I never knew that there was this type of magic in the world."

"Of course. Re-quiping is very famous. It's known to be the most limitless type of magic in the world. There is no magic user in the world who has discovered everything that Transformation Magic can do.

"Wow, I want to be the first one to do so."

"Haha, I think you'll be able to do it. You definitely have the motivation to do so." She knelt down in front of Makarov and bowed her head.

"Master, thank you so much for this gift. I promise to not let you down and its previous wearer. I promise to bring honor to the Heaven's Wheel armor name."

"Rise." She slowly returned to her feet and looked down at Makarov.

"There's no need to make it a promise. You'll eventually find yourself to do this as you live your life. Don't weigh yourself down with something as simple as this. Raise your goals to something that you know it'll be worth it in the end." He took her hand. "It's been a long time since I've met a mage with such potential as you and I honestly think that you can do anything." He smiled at her and she smiled back

"Thank you Master. I'll definitely remember those words."

"Alright, it sounds like a deal. Now come back to the guild, we're gonna party it up like old times."

"Okay." The two of them ran back to the guild where everyone was already starting. The guild was as lively as always and its members were as happy as could be. Erza, too, was happier than ever before with this incredible discovery of her true magic power.

End of Chapter 1

**Ending Note: **I hope you all enjoyed the start to a long arc in the works. This idea came to me not so long ago and I'm definitely going to stick with it until the end of my imagination goes. Sorry if this was so short, but I wanted it to act as a trailer for the rest of the arc.


	20. QA Chapter 2

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 2

The Fire Empress Armor

**Note:** Unfortunately, I won't be in town this weekend and won't have any access to my computer so Thursday will be the last update for the week. I apologize in advance, but my family decided to take a random holiday away from civilization so I hope you enjoy these next chapter updates.

The next few weeks were a blast. Erza was able to go on more intense missions now that she had the Heaven's Wheel armor at her disposal. She also improved her swordsmanship which allowed her to be a near-invulnerable fighter. Everyone at the guild was so surprised at how well Erza was progressing. Compared to the other members at her age, she was definitely the more mature one.

As she returned home from another missions, a smile was on her face. She was successful and the people were grateful for her. Erza was very active and didn't like to stay at rest for a long period of time so she immediately went to the request board when she entered the guild. She carefully examined the wall of requests and looked for something that caught her attention. As she browsed through, Natsu came up beside her and looked for a job as well.

"Hey Erza, how was the mission?"

"It was good. Nothing too hard. How have you been doing?"

"Pretty good. It's been kind of hard trying to find a good job."

"I thought the specifics of the job never really mattered to you."

"Yeah, but I always want to do something that'll make a difference. If I do something just to get money, it doesn't make me feel the same."

"I understand. That's a good reason. And don't worry, you'll find something." She looked all over and found something interesting. "Challenger requested. Winner wins a prized piece of armor." She read the note more carefully and thought that it would be worth trying out. "Hey Natsu, you wanna join me?" She ripped off the note and put it in front of Natsu.

"Screw what I said about doing something meaningful. I wanna do some damage right now." He punched his palm. "I'm all fired up." Erza wrapped her arm around his neck and headed to Mira's counter and told her about the job. She quickly approved them and they headed off as quickly as they could.

When they finally got to the place, they were surprised at the sight of the event. They arrived at a tournament like set-up. Tons of people were gathering around the place, anxious to hear about what they were going to be doing. After a few minutes, the person in charge called for everyone's attention. Everyone slowly quieted down and listened in for the news.

"Alright, first off, I wanna say thank you for everyone who has come out to participate in this little tournament I've come up with. The rules are simple. It'll be a normal-style tournament where when you lose, it's over. In a few minutes, I'll set up a bracket board and you can place yourself wherever you want. So before we start, I'd like to say good luck and I await to fight with you fine wizards." The crowd parted ways until the board was finally set up. Once it was out for everyone to see, everyone quickly ran to the board to get the best spot.

When Natsu and Erza made it to the board, they saw that there were two brackets where the winner of each will eventually meet to fight each other. They were confused. They didn't know what to do. The only reason they were there was because Erza wanted to win the prize. Natsu had no reason to take the prize from her, but he still wanted to pound on some guys. They agreed to be in the same bracket, but on opposite sides so that Natsu could get the most out of this tournament and Erza wouldn't have to face him in the finals. That's how confidence she was. They put their names on the board and waited for the tournament to start.

The two of them walked off to find a nice place to relax before the tournament started. When they found a place to sit, they examined the crowd of wizards. To both of them, no one looked too intimidating. There were definitely scarier people in the guild than there were at this tournament. Thankfully, they didn't see anybody they knew so that started to pump themselves up since they didn't have to hold back.

A few more minutes went by and the tournament finally started. Natsu and Erza said their goodbyes as they walked to their areas of the tournament. Of course, they weren't nervous and they weren't scared. This was their moment to show how strong Fairy Tail truly was.

With no hesitation, Erza made through smoothly through the tournament. However, she chose to remain secretive about her magic. All she did was use a sword and overpower her opponent through intelligence and agility. The people who watched her matches were completely in awe. They were totally shocked at how talented a woman wizard was. Occasionally, a couple of people would walk up to her and ask about her magic. She politely declined to speak and focused on the tournament.

Meanwhile on the other side of the tournament, Natsu was making a mess. Nothing was too difficult for him, but he didn't know the meaning of the word subtlety. He used this time to go crazy and show off his power. Every time he finished his match, he called out to the crowd that he was from Fairy Tail and that they couldn't be beat.

Natsu and Erza tried their best to keep in touch about their matches and how they were probably going to meet. They weren't surprised at all that the people participating weren't very skilled with their magic. The two of them ended up participating in 4 battles before finally meeting each other at the bracket final. When the match started, Natsu bowed to her and seceded from the match, giving Erza the chance to fight for the prize.

The crowds were getting rowdy as they found out that Erza was participating in the final battle. As she fought her way through the tournament, she steadily grew a fan-base that wanted her to win. Natsu joined in as well and cheered as loud as he could for her.

There was a short intermission before the final match began. Everyone would participated crowded around the final battlefield, trying to get the best seat for a supposed-awesome match. As the time ticked down, Erza stood up and took the field. When she made it onto the battlefield, she saw that her opponent was the director of the tournament.

"Well, I don't know why I'm surprised to see you in the finals."

"I could say the same to you. I've never seen you around these parts. Would you like to make this somewhat official?"

"Of course." She cleared her throat and projected her voice. "I am Erza Scarlet and I fight for the wizard guild Fairy Tail!"

"I am Taryn Skritten and I fight for myself! Erza Scarlet, are you ready?!" She nodded her head and opened her hand. A sword appeared in her hand and he started the match. As he did, he noticed that she used Transformation Magic. He smiled and opened his hand as well. Out of nowhere, a spear appeared in his hand.

"Hm, so you also use Transformation Magic?"

"I do. It appears that this will be an interesting match." They lowered their bodies and leapt towards each other.

Immediately, their weapons clashed and clinked and they didn't give up a single inch. He swung at her, but she knew exactly where he was aiming. Unfortunately, her original plan wasn't going to work against this guy. She jumped to the other side of the field to catch her breath.

"You're better than I expected."

"Why thank you. You're quite generous." They stared each other down without making a single movement. The entire crowd was silent. They didn't want to make a sound and ruin the moment. As the stare down continued, Natsu quickly broke through the silence.

"You got this Erza! Show this guy who you really are!" His comment sparked the entire crowd and everyone started to cheer for her, calling out her name and pumping their fists. She looked around and saw that everyone was cheering for her. They wanted her to win and she really wanted that prize. Her body suddenly glowed and when it lost its light, she reappeared in her Heaven's Wheel armor.

"Tenrin! Blumenbatt!" Out of nowhere, tons of swords appeared before her and they launched at her enemy from all different directions. He was caught off guard by such an impromptu attack that he rolled out of the way. When he looked up, he saw Erza zooming right at him. She slashed her sword and the power of her attack sent him flying into the sky. When his body returned to the ground, he was completely knocked out.

"YYyeeeeaaahhhhhhh!" The crowds went nuts. Everyone cheered her name. Natsu weaved through the crowd to run towards her. He picked her up by the waist and spun her around in the air.

"Erza! Erza! Erza!" Natsu started the chant and everyone else slowly joined in. after all the buzz slowly calmed, Erza walked over to Taryn who was slowly getting back up onto his feet. She stuck out her hand and he looked up at her to see her with a smile on her face.

"That was a great match." He smiled and took her hand.

"Ah, definitely. Erza Scarlet, you have my everlasting respect." She smiled again and he went to grab her prize. Out of nowhere, a couple of random guys picked her up off the ground and hoisted her onto their shoulders.

"Erza! Erza! Erza!" The chanting just didn't stop. She asked to be let down and they quickly listened to her request. However, as they did, they all knelt down before her and pledged their allegiance to her. She was totally knocked off of her feet. She didn't even know these people yet they were willing to follow her wherever she went. She accepted their request, but under the condition that they mustn't look for her, but allow them to meet out of coincidence.

Taryn returned to her and presented her with a small lacrima box. Inside was the Fire Empress Armor. She quickly accepted the prize and shook his hand.

"Congratulations, Ms. Scarlet." She smiled once again and ran off, grabbing Natsu's hand and dragging him along. The two of them ran as fast as they could until they finally returned home. When they did, Erza unpacked her armor and put it on for the first time. Her body glowed as her armor consumed her body.

The armor was a two-piece set that was black and red. To both of their surprises, her hair was tied into two pigtails. In her hand, a sword with a flame-like design. She examined it exactly the way she did with her Heaven's Wheel armor. Just like that, she pushed Natsu across the ways and asked him to hit her with his magic.

"You want me to what?"

"Hit me with your fire."

"Um, okay." He clenched his fist and took a deep breath. "Karyuu no Houko!" His breath made its way right at Erza. She smiled and lowered her body. Right then and there, the fire exploded on contact and Natsu started to grow a little worried. "Erza, you were supposed to dodge it." Suddenly, her body emerged from the wall of fire and Natsu was totally shocked. She walked with a smile on her face as she escaped unscathed from his attack.

"This armor protects me against fire. That's so cool."

"So you didn't get burned at all."

"Nope. I'm totally fine."

"That's awesome." He was happy for her, except for the fact that if he were to fight her, it would be a much harder fight now that she has that armor at her disposal.

End of Chapter 2


	21. QA Chapter 3

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 3

A Very Merry Christmas

**Note: **Merry Christmas to all of my fellow writes and readers. I hope your holiday goes great with everyone's favorite day of the year. As a gift for such a fine day, I give this very special chapter of this story so I hope you guys enjoy. Just a little reminder, there will be no updates this weekend due to a personal excuse. This story will resume the next week. Merry Christmas once again to you all.

Snow was falling from the sky on a very special day of the year. Everyone in town was singing and cheering as Christmas made its way to Magnolia once again. Inside the guild building, the place was bustling. Makarov and Mirajane set up and Christmas tree just for decoration, but everyone loved it anyway.

The other members of the guild were spending their day with close friends and family members. Natsu and Gray decided to hang out for the day. Mira, Elfman, and Makarov stayed at the guild, providing a place for anyone who didn't have a place to go for the holidays. Macao and Wakaba went home to their families and everyone else did their own special thing.

Erza decided to spend her day in town and enjoy the atmosphere of Christmas where everyone was always cheerful. She jumped from shop to shop, trying to find something interesting or something cool that she could buy for her friends.

All throughout the town, venders were offering these amazing deals that a normal person couldn't pass up. Being the good person she was, she decided to check out some of the things that were being offered. She ended up finding a very nice jacket for Makarov, some more clothes for Gray (because you know how he is), and a new scarf for Natsu that he probably would never wear.

Once that was all over, she continued to look for things for her. She walked into a nice little clothes store and greeted the shopkeeper. She looked around the place, but nothing caught her attention.

"Oh, I apologize. You're Erza Scarlet, right, of Fairy Tail?" She nodded. "I'm so sorry. I've actually made a special collection for you in the back. Please don't think of it as weird. You're such a huge inspiration to us that I thought you deserved something special. Here, follow me. I think you'll enjoy this." Without another word, she followed the shopkeeper into the back where he turned on the lights. Right as the room lit up, she was completely in awe. Everything in there was completely in fashion and completely her style. Her eyes opened wide and she pranced around like a little kid. Everything from normal clothes to dresses to swimsuits, there was everything.

Immediately from the start, a certain outfit caught her attention. It was a white apron and a pair of pink panties. It also came some sexy, black socks and a maid headpiece. She grabbed it off the rack and examined it carefully.

"Hm, this is really nice. How much?"

"For you, everything in here is free. Just try not to take everything," he said with a smile. She quickly opened up her lacrima storage screen and placed the outfit in her inventory. "Good selection, I must say." She smiled at him and continued to browse through his selection. The more she looked through, the less she was interested. The shopkeeper noticed this and immediately attracted her attention. "I know something that's perfect. Here, this way." He guided her to the very back of the room where he kept a beautiful piece of armor.

"Wow, what's this?"

"I know it may not look like it, but I'm also a crafter and I specially designed this armor just for you." The armor was mostly pink. The main piece covered her entire upper body. The other half was the leg armor that went all the way up to her thighs. And as an added bonuses, there was a headpiece that were shaped like wings.

"Did you give it a name yet?"

"Not really, but there was one that stuck in my head this whole time: Armadura Fairy. I made it with the image of fairies in my head so yeah, that's that." She opened up her lacrima screen and had it moved into her inventory where she quickly changed into it.

As her body's light disappeared, the shopkeeper was in awe. It looked so good and it totally matched her. This was definitely something she would wear. As she checked its maneuverability, the shopkeeper rummaged through his things and pulled out one more things for her.

"I also managed to create two swords that matched the armor." The swords were averagely sized with a blue gemstone at the top of the hilt. On its sides, there were fairy-like wings. He handed her the swords and swung them around.

"I never knew that you were so talented."

"Well, Fairy Tail has done so much for this town so I thought that I could do something in return for you." She smiled and returned to her normal armor.

"I don't know how to thank you enough for these gifts."

"Don't worry about it. Just keep doing your job as a Fairy Tail wizard and you'll repay this exchange." She held his hand and smiled.

"It's a deal." She made her way out of the shop and waved goodbye one last time, also giving one more thank you to him. After that was all over, she made her way back to the guild. Right as she opened the door, she saw a huge present right at the front door. From behind, Makarov and Mira jumped out in front of her.

"Merry Christmas Erza!"

"What's going on?"

"We made you a gift."

"For me?"

"Of course. You've really been making a name for yourself in this guild we thought that you deserved something special this year." She smiled and walked to the giant present. She quickly ripped off the wrapping paper and opened up the box to see another piece of armor.

"Whoa, what's this?"

"Master and I have spent some time making another piece of armor for you. We've been noticing that you've been on a search for all the armors you can get and even though this doesn't really have a purpose, you can have it serve as something ceremonial or something." Just like she did with the fairy armor, she transferred it to her inventory and her body glowed. When they light disappeared, they saw her the grandest outfit they've ever seen. It was a long dress with a robe attached to the back of it. It had assorted colors all over it and came with a tall staff.

"Wow, thank you so much. I promise to wear this with pride."

"Well, we're just happy that you're happy. So, how many does that make now?"

"Hm, I think that makes it 5." Both Makarov and Mirajane were surprised.

"Wow, you've really been going at it recently."

"Yeah, but only one have I really earned. It's my Flame Empress Armor. The other ones I received as gifts. As nice as it's been, I want to truly earn these armors, and I'll keep going until my goal has been achieved."

"Alright, alright, that's enough. It's Christmas, Erza, calm down. Just bring it in." Makarov opened his arms and Erza and Mirajane joined him in a little group hug. The other people were sitting around at the guild decided to join in and suffocated the people who were in the middle of the hug. As she was nearly squeezed to death, another thought came to her head.

Christmas just keeps getting better.

End of Chapter 3

**Ending Note: **I hope you guys enjoyed this special little chapter, and I also hope you all have a great Christmas. Even though there are a couple more holidays coming up, I'm going to try to give you guys the normal updates. If not, I'll get them to you guys on the next day. Anyway, be safe and have fun.


	22. QA Chapter 4

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 4

The Sea Empress Armor

**Note: **I hope you all had an awesome Christmas day and I'm sorry for not posting this past weekend, but have no fear, I'll make them up right now with this update. Anyway, happy holidays and enjoy.

Fairy Tail celebrated another new year together. Like always, everyone was there to celebrate another great year. Everyone was happy and everyone was so grateful that they were all still together. So many drinks were shared and so many tears were shed. Fairy Tail made it along all of this time and they were all ready to start off the New Year.

As the guild reconvened for the start of the year, Erza set off to find another piece of armor. Before she left, she reviewed her inventory. She had the Flame Empress Armor, her newly-renowned-named Seduction Armor, Heaven's Wheel, Armadura Fairy, and the beautiful Farewell Fairy Armor. She couldn't believe that she had accumulated 5 pieces of armor already. A small tear fell from her eye, but she quickly wiped it away. She stood up strong and headed off to her next mission.

The job request that she accepted this time was a small town near the coast that was experiencing a lot property damage due to a wizard gone rouge. It's said that that wizard uses water magic and those who choose to accept this request should enter with caution.

All throughout her travels, she thought about what armor she should use. She wanted to try out the Flame Empress armor, but that wouldn't be very efficient against water which brought her back to Heaven's Wheel. Her first and most trustworthy would be put to the test again. But then again, she also has the armor that the shopkeeper gave to her. She was also contemplating on using that. Luckily, she had loads of time to think before she arrived at the town.

After a few hours of traveling alone, she finally arrived in town. When she got there, she was kind of surprised. She thought the town would be under some kind of rule, but they all looked normal. Of course, some of the buildings and other pieces of property were destroyed, but everything looked normal. She walked into town as quietly as she could and looked for someone who was in charge. After a couple of minutes, she found a little meeting happening in the middle of town.

"Please everyone, settle down. The people of this town are trying their very best to rid this person from our town, but nothing seems to be working. Peaceful negotiations don't seem to work with this woman and we don't keep any arms with us so does anybody else have any idea of what we can do." The man looked into the crowd and saw blank faces which discouraged him, but suddenly, a hand was raised above all of the heads. "Yes, you in the back!"

"Excuse me, but is this the town that sent in that request for help." Everyone's faces around her lit up with joy.

"It got through!"

"We're saved!"

"Thank you so much!"

"Hey, hey, everyone calm down! You, would you mind joining me up at the front?" She left her things in the back of the crowd and made her way forward. "Please tell me that you're here to help us."

"Of course, we received this request quite early and I acted in a quick fashion, and now, here I am."

"We?"

"Oh, my apologies. I'm Erza Scarlet of the wizarding guild Fairy Tail, and I'm here to help you people!" The crowd went nuts. Their dreams were finally becoming reality.

"Come on people, let's calm down now. Anyway, if you're here to help, we might as well let you know about the situation. This woman enters town every night and demands something random from us. We never know how to react and we end up giving her what she wants. However, when she's done, she destroys something of ours and we don't know what to do."

"Hm, I understand. Well, leave it to me. I promise to finish the job, Fairy Tail swears. For right now, when the sun sets, take shelter in your homes." Again, the crowd started to cheer. Erza walked off the stage and returned to her things. She then went around the town and examined every spot of it, down to the small cracks in the building. As she did, she always had some people from the town following her every move, asking her about what she does and where she's from. Being Erza, she politely answered everyone's question with a smile and a hint of imagination.

As the day grew late, the people hanging around town slowly started to decrease. They all took shelter inside their homes and waited. When the sun hit the horizon, the entire town was deserted. From behind, the moon quickly ascended into the sky and Erza stood right in the middle of town. As she waited there alone, she soon saw a figure emerging from the fog that surrounded the town.

"Mayor! Mayor, I'm back for another gift. Please have it ready this time, I don't like waiting on… Wait a minute, who are you?"

"Only worthy opponents can know my name."

"I see, and you think you're stronger than I am?" Erza didn't respond. She just stared her down with such concentration in her eyes. "Well, let's stop staring at each other and get this thing started, shall we?" Out of nowhere, her opponent's body lit up and took on a new appearance.

It was almost as if she was a direct origin of the ocean. Her body was covered in seaweed, or at least seaweed-like armor. In her hand, she wielded a sword that looked as if it was made of some sea crystal. It was time to start. Erza's body glowed bright as she ex-quiped into her Heaven's Wheel armor.

Immediately, the two of the leapt right at each other with such speed and power that any average person wouldn't be able to keep up with. Erza swung her sword at her, but missed and vice versa. From the looks of it, they seemed evenly matched, but Erza could tell that this woman was giving it her all which caused Erza to hold back. For minutes upon minutes, their swords clashed with one another until Erza sent her sliding back with one huge strike.

"Hm, you're better than I expected."

"You obviously are confident if you're giving me a compliment this late in the battle."

"Haha, true. Then how about we do this? You are a very able swordsman and I'd love to work with you more so how about we make a bet. If I win, you join me," she said with such an evil smile.

"Interesting, and if I win…"

"I'll leave."

"You give up your armor." Her eyes shot open. Erza was purposely pinning her in a corner, but she was unaware of that. Her opponent had no idea what she was planning and Erza planned to keep it that way. Right after her part of the deal was spoken, her opponent immediately lost a lot of confidence that Erza used to her advantage.

"F-Fine."

"Here I come." Erza lowered her body and revealed her secret weapon. 10 more sword appeared from behind her as she gave her a little smirk. Again, her eyes widened for she wasn't expecting this at all. Erza kicked off the ground and charged her with everything she had. In panic, she called upon the strength of her sword to back her up.

Out of nowhere, a huge wave of water came tumbling towards Erza. Using her special ability of her armor, she flew out of the way and above her enemy. The impact of wave crippled her vision, causing her to lose track of Erza's location. She looked around with concern for she couldn't find her. This was it.

"Blumenbatt!" right then and there, the swords flew through the sky, raining down on top of her enemy. She tried to use her sword as protection, but her attacks were coming from all different directions. There was no way to avoid everything which meant her immediate defeat. Once the swords ceased their attack, she dropped onto her knees and crashed into the ground.

"Impossible. I lost." Erza returned to the ground and ex-quiped back into her normal armor. She looked up and saw Erza standing above her with a huge smile on her face. "Who are you?"

"Erza. Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail." She then swiped her hand down, opening up her inventory and taking the armor for herself, leaving her enemy in nothing but her underwear. "You lose. Now, you must meet the demands of the winner. Leave this town and never come back." Her enemy closed her eyes and admitted total defeat. Erza completed her mission on schedule and went back into town to deliver the good news.

As expected, all of the townspeople were thrilled to hear about the good news. As promised, they gave her the reward and also a rare gemstone of their town. The gem was baby blue and had an oval-shape. They thanked her once again and she thanked them back. Another armor in the bag and nothing too difficult.

As she made her way back to the guild, she opened up her inventory and started to do some organizing. She separated her armors into a battle and non-battle folder. Now, she had 4 pieces of battle armor and 2 pieces of non-battle armor. A smile quickly emerged from her face as she continued to walk back to the guild. She also pulled out the gemstone they gave her. It was beautiful and so precious. However, she wasn't very fond of things like this so when she got back, she placed it in the guild's hall of rewards when it rested.

After she settled back in, she told Makarov more about her adventure and how she acquired another piece of armor. Makarov was very happy for her, but wasn't really impressed. He's watched her grow over these years and Erza has determination and will that he hasn't seen in any other person in such a long time. He gave her his congratulations and went on to attend some other business.

When he left, she tried to find Natsu and Gray, but they weren't around so she decided to leave. However, she left only to test out her new armor. She returned to that open field in town and ex-quiped her armor. When it appeared on her body, she felt like a fish. Her body was covered in seaweed and her shoulder and head piece were fin-shaped guards. In her hand, she held a huge sword with obvious ocean origins. Surprisingly, the sword and her armor felt really light, allowing her to move quite freely as compared to Heaven's Wheel.

After a few more minutes, she removed the armor and returned to Fairy Tail suites. Her dream was progressing quite fast and there was still more to come. She was so excited about what else was to come and what other things she was going to learn while walking down this path that she chose to live by.

End of Chapter 4


	23. QA Chapter 5

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 5

The Lightning Empress Armor

A couple of weeks went by, but Erza has been slacking on the armor collection. She's taken a new job nearly every day yet nothing has happened for her. The rewards have been great and she's had a lot of fun, but she's been wanting to see another armor. So when another day came around, she decided to take a day off. Unfortunately, that only lasted until she saw the request board. Her eyes browsed the wall when something finally caught her attention.

_Help Wanted. Our village is being possessed by some unusual entity. The details are unclear so we won't be much help, but we ask that someone help us. Please. Reward: $1,000,000_

This immediately caught her attention. Unusual, possessed; those words aren't used on a daily basis. She ripped it off the wall and made her way to Mira's desk. She quickly approved her request and made her way to the town. As she walked alone, her mind was running. What could possibly be the problem? Maybe there was something special about what's going on. She couldn't contain the hype. She was antsy the entire time she walked to the village.

When she got there, things immediately got creepy. The town was dark as if the sun never reached its streets. The wind that ventured through the area nearly gave her chills. When she looked up, she saw a huge temple that looked like something out of a horror movie. As she walked through town, no one was around. The town didn't make sense at all so she didn't know who to look for. She wandered aimlessly until she finally came across a random passerby.

"Excuse me, I received a request that this town is being possessed or something, and I wanted to know how I could help." The person she was talking to was totally spooked by her sentence. "Um, are you okay? Was it something I said?"

"No, no. You're fine. It's just that we try not to talk about that here."

"About what? Trust me, I'm here to help you people." She took a deep breath and told her everything she knew.

"It's completely random, but this village is plagued by fierce thunderstorms. We don't know why it's happening. This town isn't known for being religious, but we've done everything we could think of. We give some of goods as a reward, we stop farming, anything you can think of, but nothing works. The storms just keep coming. We're all scared and with no options left."

"Hm, I see. Well, I will make do with what you told me. Just try to stay safe."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She shook Erza's hand and ran off. Erza watched her as she disappeared into the darkness of the streets. She looked around and nothing else was going on. She left her things on the street and walked around town.

Dark. That was the one thing she could say about that town. Even though it was the middle of the day, it didn't even feel like it. The winds were starting to pick up and the temperature was dropping drastically. Immediately, things were getting interesting for her. She climbed up to a roof and examined the village from afar. It was quiet with no motion whatsoever. As she waited there, the rain started to come down.

Hard and heavy, the rain was pummeling the hard. She looked up and the skies were black. Something was definitely wrong, but she didn't know quite well about what it was. As she stood there, she had a thought about this job would be perfect for Laxus, but then again, he would never take such a low-end job as an S-class mage.

She stood there and continued to think until something came to her head. That lady she talked said that the town wasn't religious. Maybe that was the key. She turned her head and looked at the huge temple overlooking the village and decided that that was a good place to start. She got down off the roof and made her way to the temple.

She approached the temple with cautious. Before she ascended the huge staircase, she looked up and saw that the storm was the greatest right above it. She smiled and started her ascension. When she made it the entrance, the torches that aligned the wall immediately lit up. It definitely gave off an ominous feel, but nothing was scaring her yet. She opened her hand and a sword appeared out of nowhere. She took a step forward and prepared for anything out of the ordinary.

The first hallway was long. Art was covering the walls. It had people worshipping some relic that she couldn't really make out. As she continued through the hall, the more she thought that that woman didn't really know about the town. She occasionally stopped and checked out the art on the walls. Unfortunately, nothing made sense to her, but she was trying to connect the dots between the village and what's happening to it.

As she neared the end of the hallway, she heard a click echo through the halls. She stopped walking and listened for a response. Suddenly, a loud piercing sound emerged and she looked to her right. An arrow flew right at her, but she deflected it with her sword. When the arrow crashed into the ground, another click sound echoed. She looked forward and saw that the walls were starting to create little holes. It was a trap. She gripped her sword tight and ran as fast as she could down the hall. From both sides, arrows were flying right at her. She bobbed and weaved through the trap. When she was caught motionless, she used her sword to serve as an extra shield. Even though her skills were gradually getting better, she couldn't stay long. Eventually, the trap was going to get the best of her.

She ex-quiped into Heaven's Wheel and flew deeper into the temple. Once she was clear, she found herself inside the grand hall of the temple. The torches around the room lit up and Erza immediately got excited. Right in the middle of the room was a long spear. A lightning bolt struck though the building and electrocuted the spear. She was forced to cover her eyes since she's never experienced a lightning strike this close.

When she removed her arms, she saw that the spear was still electrified. She opened up her other hand and another sword appeared. Out of nowhere, the spear flew right at her and she swung right at it, sending it flying across the room and crashing into the wall. She was able to defend against it, but her hand that struck the spear felt a slight tingly feeling. She tried to grip her sword tight, but it felt as if she lost all of her strength in her hand.

She looked up again and saw that the spear was coming right at her. She rolled out of the way and the spear ran into the wall again. This was so weird. Did the spear have a mind of its own? She didn't even do anything to cause this. She returned to her normal armor and waited for the next attack. When she looked over at the spear, it fell from the wall and pointed at her. Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning came streaking towards her. This caught her off-guard and she took the attack head-on.

"Aaaahhhhh!" Her body dropped to the ground for the attack was too intense to withstand. She struggled to look up and when she did, she saw the spear flying right at her again. She did her best to roll out of the way and ex-quiped into something else.

When she emerged out from her roll, she came out with her Sea Empress Armor. This was her first time using it in such a serious situation and she wasn't going to waste it. She looked up and saw that the spear was still going crazy. It suddenly flew into the middle of the room and another lightning strike hit it directly. Immediately after, the spear pointed right at her and a bolt of lightning came flying right at her. She swung her sword right at it.

Incredibly, her sword unleashed a wave of water, completely extinguishing the bolt of the lightning. At first, she was shocked, but she immediately got over it. She swung her sword again and a huge slash of water came flying at the spear. Caught off guard, it was hit directly and sent flying across the room. Erza wasted no time. She jumped right at it and it turned horizontally, blocking her strike.

One pushed towards the other and vice versa, but they weren't giving anything to the other. Erza was gritting her teeth, trying to pin the spear against the wall, but the strength of that weapon was incredible. She was running out of time and options. The tip of the spear was electrifying again which meant that another lightning strike was coming.

Without thinking, she grabbed the handle of the spear and turned around, slamming the butt of the spear into the ground. Right then and there, a lightning struck down onto the spear and Erza yelled in fury. The room filled up with intense light as the lightning strike was brighter and longer than the previous ones.

After a couple of minutes went by, the lightning strike disappeared and Erza opened her eyes. Incredibly, the touch of the spear didn't hurt. She looked down and saw that her body was in a completely different outfit. She was in a white, blue, and yellow gown that stretched down to her knees. On her forearms and shoulders, she had guards with large spikes on them. But the biggest shock was her hair. It had two bows on both sides of her head and her hair was tied in a really long ponytail.

She was in awe. What just happened? She looked at the spear and nothing happened. It laid in her hands completely inactive. When she thought to herself, she realized that the lightning strike didn't hurt. By touching the spear, she doesn't feel that sensation she did before. Her eyes widened as she finally knew what had happened.

The weapon was hers. A huge smile emerged from her face and she made her way out of the temple. The entire place lit up. The traps that were there before were no longer there. It was as if they were all reset. She made it outside and looked around. The skies were slowly clearing up, exposing a beautiful blue sky. She looked down and saw that the people of the village were slowly making their ways out into the streets.

She walked down the steps and returned to the village. The people of the village slowly turned their heads to see Erza with the lightning spear in hand. They were all in shock and unable to speak a word at all. She walked through the crowds of people as they stared at her and the weapon in her hand. She soon stopped in the middle of the crowd as their mayor eventually made it to her.

"Mr. Mayor, I heard your request for help and I think I've solved your village's problem." He looked at her and then up towards the sky.

"Young lady, you know how long it's been since this village has seen blue skies?" She nodded her head. "A long time, but thanks to you, you've helped us out so much. And I see that you've conquered that heavenly staff."

"Yes I did. Is this what has been causing you people problems?"

"Yes. That staff has lived on through history, constantly looking for a master, but it hasn't found one worthy of its power. Luckily, you came along and taken it for yourself. We all thank you so much for what you've done. To express our gratitude, we would like you to accept this reward." Some of the townspeople brought out a case of $1,000,000 and Erza hesitantly accepted. She wanted to let them keep it, but there was no sign of them going back on their words. "One last thing, what is your name? The people of this town are indebted to you."

"Erza Scarlet."

"Well Erza Scarlet, we thank you so much for your service and we'll remember you forever." She smiled and shook hands with the mayor. The people of the town quickly applauded for her and as she grabbed her things and headed back to the guild, waving goodbye to the people of that village one last time.

"That's seven."

End of Chapter 5


	24. QA Chapter 6

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 6

Flight Armor Part I

Erza's dry streak on lame missions was finally over. Everything she participated in was really fun and educational, but she didn't retrieve as many pieces of armor as she wanted. A month went by and she went on a job nearly every day.

She was able to acquire the Black Wing Armor, which was a tough fight. Its possessor wasn't human which nearly pushed Erza to the brink of defeat. However, she stayed strong and used her intelligence to get the better of her opponent. She also acquired the Morning Star Armor. This armor was given to her as a gift. She prevented a tsunami engulf an entire time. And finally, she acquired the Giant's Armor. This was an interesting one. She helped a village of giants stop of volcanic eruption from destroying their town.

So now, Erza couldn't be any happier. She has 8 pieces of armor in her possession and each one of them can be used for a different situation. The more she collected them, the more she felt stronger as a fighter.

Even though she's been working hard, she refuses to stop. Every day when the sun rises, she goes to the guild and stands in front of the request board, hoping for something new. No one else in the guild can compare to Erza's efforts. She constantly stays busy and she looks like she loves to be in that condition. Finally, she spotted a request and ripped it off the board.

_Apprentice Wanted,_

_Are you looking for adventure and danger? Is your life boring as it is? Join me and I promise that you won't forget it. I will meet in front of the Endless Forest on March 3__rd__ if you're interested. Bring nothing._

What kind of request was this? She looked around the guild and saw that everyone was slumping around. This was perfect for her. She took it to Mirajane and had it approved. Before she left, she was stopped by Makarov, asking her about her things she usually brings. She told him that this was different and that she might be gone for a while. She accepted her departure and wished her luck. As she watched her leave, he had a thought about something; something that she would be very interested in.

It took her a few days to reach the beginning of the Endless Forest, but she eventually made it to be immediately surprised. She met a small-looking man who was apparently the one who left the request. Another thing that surprised her was that no one else was there. He was waiting alone which made Erza the first one he met.

"Hi, I'm Erza Scarlet. Are you the man who is planning on going into the Endless Forest?"

"Why yes I am. I am Keiji Okura. You may call Okura-sensei." She bowed to him without question. "Hm, it appears that it's going to be just you and me. Are you ready?"

"Sure, just one question though. Are you mage?"

"Yes I am."

"Um, what kind of magic do you use?"

"Haha, good question. You will find out in time. Now, let's get a move on." They took a step towards the forest and said goodbye to civilization.

Right from the start, Erza knew things were going o get interesting. There was no trail so they had to make one themselves. The Endless Forest is known to be one of the most dangerous regions of the world so the two of them remained on their toes as they weaved through the treacherous terrain. After a few hours, things started to calm down and they were able to relax a bit.

"So Erza Scarlet, what kind of magic do you use?"

"Erza's fine, and I use ex-quip magic."

"Hm, I see. That can prove to be very useful here. How many pieces of armor do you own?" She had to think for a second to make sure that she was accurate.

"10, but only 8 of them I use for combat."

"Interesting. Would you happen to be on a pursuit of attaining all kinds of armor?" She was shocked. He was able to connect the dots with such little information. She didn't know anything about this man, but something about him made Erza want to stay and learn more, even though he hasn't really said anything.

"To be honest, I was hoping that I would acquire another piece of armor on this job, but it seems that that's not going to be an option."

"Don't be too hasty. There are many things in this forest that can be turned into armor. You just have to be…"

"What is it?"

"Sshhh! Do you hear that?" Erza listened, but couldn't hear anything.

"No." The two of them remained silent and listened around them. Erza couldn't hear it, but Keiji heard the soft crack of a tree branch.

"Duck!" He suddenly tackled her to the ground when a huge cat came plunging towards them. His quick reaction allowed them to escape its attack. However, when he looked back up, the cat was still there, eyeing the two of them.

"Tenrin!" Her body glowed and her Heaven's Wheel armor appeared on her body. She tried to step towards it, but Keiji stuck his arm out and stopped her before she could.

"Wait! It's only curious." She looked at it and saw its huge teeth emerging from its mouth. The growl of that beast could be heard from anywhere and drool was falling from its mouth.

"Doesn't look very curious to me."

"Just be patient." The three of them continued to have a stare down. A few more minutes went by and the beast raised its body, indicating to them that he has no interest in attacking. In the blink of an eye, the huge beast disappeared. Erza couldn't believe what had just happened. Keiji was so calm and she didn't even see the beast disappear.

"What the hell was that thing?"

"That was a Humtah. The fastest, strongest animal in the world. It's at the top of the food chain with nothing to stand in its way."

"So why didn't it attack us?"

"There are many things in this world that people are unaware of Erza Scarlet. Spectacles like that should be remained a secret." She was totally confused. This man didn't make any sense, but he definitely knew what he was doing. She continued to follow his lead and examined every single thing he did.

Eventually, the sun hit the horizon and the danger really started to surround the area. With no light or knowledge of the forest, they had to be very careful for everything there went bump in the night.

"Um, Okura-sensei, shouldn't we find shelter?"

"That is not advised. We must remain on guard at all times. The night is too dangerous to take breaks. We continue to move forward." Erza was starting to grow a little worn out, but Keiji, on the other hand, looked as if he just woke up from a good night's rest.

She examined him carefully and everything he did had a purpose. He smelt the things around, took notice of every little plant that they passed by, and made sure Erza was always within his sight. For some reason, he seemed very protective of her at this point in their day. She could easily fend for herself, but he knew that she was completely out of her league on this one. She didn't know about the forest and he could tell that she was still a little too young for this. As the two of them silently made it through the forest, another thing came to her mind.

"Um, Okura-sensei, do you mind letting me know what kind of magic you use?"

"That's not important at the moment, Erza. There are more important things to worry about than that." Suddenly, a loud cracking sound echoed through the forest and the two of them stopped dead in their tracks.

"Wait, what was that?"

"I don't know." He turned around and looked at Erza's feet. The longer she stood there, the weirder things got. She stumbled around and looked down at her feet. The ground started to separate and dark red light glowed through the ground.

"What the heck is that?"

"Erza, get out of there now."

Boom. The ground suddenly gave out and Erza fell through the ground. Keiji dove to try and reach for her, but he was too late. He watched her fall to some unknown place and knew that he had to follow her.

She continued to slide down into the earth for quite some time. The further she fell, the darker it got and the hotter it felt. Her vision slowly became worthless until she finally stopped falling. Her legs made impact with the ground beneath her feet which caused her to fall onto her stomach. When she looked up, she saw pools of lava and fire everywhere. Across the way, there was a huge stone figure standing. She kept her eyes on that thing the entire time as she slowly raised her body back onto her feet.

When she returned to her feet, the stone figure suddenly cracked. She remained motionless and waited. A few more seconds went by and the figure started to move towards her. She was totally confused. What was that thing? Out of nowhere, she saw the figure reach back for something. When it turned back around, it tossed a huge rock right at her. Before it could hit her, she ex-quiped into her Lightning Empress Armor and exploded the rock. As the dust from the rock subsided, she saw it reach back again and she prepared herself this time. However, it wasn't a rock that it was reaching. It grabbed a huge, black sword and started to drag it along as it walked towards her. She lowered her body and prepared for battle.

"Bring it on."

End of Chapter 6


	25. QA Chapter 7

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 7

Flight Armor Part II

**Note: **Happy New Year's everyone. I wish you all a safe and successful new year. Hopefully, there will be more fun and emotional stories for the best fans ever.

The stone figure was walking towards her without speaking a single word. From her view, it was hard to make out who the warrior was, but Erza didn't care. She lowered herself to the ground and waited for the attack. As the warrior was within arm's reach, it stretched its arm back and swung down its sword right on top of Erza. In the blink of an eye, she dove out of the way. When she looked back, she saw the sword impact with the ground and send huge pieces of rocks flying into the air. Some flew towards her and she shot them out of the air.

As the dust filled the air, the figure made its move. To her surprise, it moved very quickly right at her, swinging its sword right at her stomach and landing a solid strike. The power of that strike sent her sliding across the ground and few feet away from it.

"What the hell are you?" There was no response. It lifted up its sword and walked back towards Erza. She pointed her staff at it and a bolt of lightning came shooting right at it. However, the most unexpected thing happened. Her lightning bolt phased right through its body as if it were some kind of spirit that took no true form.

As the object reformed, she was completely out of ideas. If that attack didn't hit, what would? She had the armory to figure some kind of weakness, but time wasn't on her side. This thing kept on pressing its weight against hers and wasn't able to withstand it. What could she do? She saw it reach closer towards her and thought on her toes. Her body glowed and she revealed her Giant's Armor. The giants who made this for her said that it can withstand anything within a human's ability. That last part worried her because this things definitely wasn't human. She tightened her grip on her staff and charged.

She swung her staff upwards and then back down on her opponent. It brought its sword up to block her attack and immediately swung at her causing her to flip away. Things still weren't making sense. Its attacks are solid, but the defense against my lightning attack wasn't. Why? She looked up and saw that her opponent was running right at her with a fully charged attack ready. She brought her staff up to her face and took the hit. The huge attack sent her flying across the way and into the wall.

After her body crashed into the ground, she looked up and saw someone standing in front of her. It was Keiji. In her head, she was wondering what was taking him so long. Her opponent remained motionless as Keiji stared it down.

"What's wrong?"

"I know what this is. This is a failed experiment by a certain demon that I can't remember the name of. But there's one thing that's certain and that only Demon Slayer Magic can work against this thing." Erza slowly rose onto her feet, grabbing her stomach.

"So what do we do?"

"We find a weak spot." In her head, she was going nuts. He obviously wasn't here to see her get her butt kicked. This thing was impervious to her attacks and she knew it. Hopefully he knew that or else things wouldn't turn out well for him. He lowered his body and dashed at the enemy. However, when he did, Erza completely lost sight of him. Did he just disappear? Is this his magic?

Out of nowhere, he appeared right next to the enemy and struck him right in the lower back. His fist went through his body and he immediately pulled out. The enemy swung its sword at his head and he fell back, kicking his legs right at its face. This time, the attack worked. He landed a clean blow to its face. As this was happening, Erza was examining everything. The fought Keji fought was incredible. She's never seen such honed skills before. After a few good blows, he reappeared next to Erza.

"It's not invulnerable so we can defeat it. We just have to work together. It can handle more than more thing at a time so we'll give it a surprise. I'll keep it busy and then you finish him off. Sound like a deal?" She nodded her head and the two of them executed the plan.

Keiji ran right at it and it swung at his head. He quickly slid on his knees and avoided the attack. The enemy slowly turned around and slammed its sword against the ground. He rolled out of the way, but his strike hit the ground dead-on, causing lava to shoot up into the air. He retreated to create some distance between them. When the lava finally subsided, he moved in again. He dodged every attack and managed to hit about 3-4 times. Unfortunately, these attacks didn't seem to have much of an effect, but that was all part of the plan. As Erza continued to watch, she saw him give the sign to her to attack. She ex-quiped into Armadura Fairy. She lowered her body and sprung towards the enemy. Meanwhile, Keji was still keeping it busy. He was getting battered around a little more, but he had to hold up. When he saw Erza within striking distance, he landed one more blow and jumped out of the way.

"Do it!"

"Aaahhhh!" She swung her two swords into an X shape and two energy blasts came right at it the enemy. This time, her attack and exploded on impact. They had to cover their eyes for the light from the explosion was pretty intense. When the dust from the explosion subsided, the saw no sign of the enemy. They looked around carefully, but saw nothing. Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, Keiji spotted a strange smoke cloud heading right for Erza.

"Erza, get down!" It was too late. The smoke made contact with her body and phased into her. Her body suddenly jerked upright and she screamed out in pain.

"Aaahhhhh!" Her eyes suddenly turned bright red and her body was slowly engulfed in black armor, just like the one they had just fought. Block after block, the demon took over her body until the takeover was finally complete. Her body was covered in huge, black armor that looked nearly impenetrable. She stood there hunched over, eyes still red as blood.

"Erza?" She suddenly dropped to her knees and grabbed her head.

"Aaahhhh!" What was going on? Was this a struggle for dominion over her?

"Erza, you have to fight it! Don't let it win!" She continued to scream out in pain. However, as she did, her voice began to change. It was almost as if another being was inside of her, trying to take control. Keiji tried to keep his distance, but he wanted to do something for her. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do for her. This looked to be her fight and her fight only.

She suddenly rose to her feet and ran into a nearby wall, breaking every single piece of rock in her path. She then fell onto her knees and pounded the ground as hard as she could. Her punch cracked the ground and lava shot out. Surprisingly, she wasn't harmed by this, but she was still in pain by what was happening to her. As he watched carefully, her eyes grew redder and redder until she was forced to close her eyes.

"Aaaahhhh!" It was getting hard to watch. He didn't want to see her suffer, but he didn't want to abandon her so he did his best to remain calm. After a few more seconds, white glow started to appear around her armor. This went on until her whole body was covered in it. He reached his hand towards her and the white glow shot out in all directions, sending him onto his back.

When he looked back, he saw that Erza was no longer struggling. Her body was upright and she was breathing heavy. He slowly rose to his feet and walked over to her. He kept his arm out as precaution. As he neared her, her breathing calmed and she looked up. Her eyes were still red, but she looked much calmer than she was.

"Erza, are you alright?" Suddenly, her body glowed which caused him to cover his eyes. When he opened them back up, he saw that she was back in her normal armor. "What the hell just happened?"

"That's 11."

"What are you talking about? Are you okay?"

"That's my 11th piece of armor."

"Whoa, wait. You're saying that you conquered that demon?" she nodded her head and smiled. H couldn't believe it. To do something so crazy and not look affected by it afterwards was incredible. "Well, I tip my hat to you Erza Scarlet. You are truly and woman of many wonders and feats. Now, our next challenge: Getting out of this hole."

"No problem." She ex-quiped into Heaven's Wheel and flew them both out. When they returned to normal ground, things weren't looking any better for them. They saw endless amounts of dead bodies everywhere.

"What the hell happened around here?" Keiji knelt down onto the ground and examined some of the bodies. Unfortunately, they were all dead, but the weird thing was that they were all killed by the same thing at the same time.

"It's the Humtah, and it's close." He rose onto his feet. "We need to get out of here. Run!" without wasting another second, the two of them made their way deeper into the forest. As they ran quickly and silently, they could hear the slight rustling of leaves behind them and knew that it was the Humtah. In this situation, there wasn't much that they could. It was nearly impossible to track that beast and it was incredibly strong so fighting it head-on was definitely at the bottom of the priority list so they continued to run. As they ran, Erza couldn't help but let her mind run which also caused her mouth to run as well.

"So Okura-sensei, what kind of magic do you use? I saw what you did, but I couldn't tell what it was. If anything, it's not lethal magic, is it?" It took hima few seconds, but he finally answered her.

"You have a good eye, Erza. You're right though. I use prediction magic. I use the life force of the things around me and use that to my advantage. I can see multiple paths that something will follow and go off of that."

"But that still doesn't clean things up. You looked as if you knew what that thing was going to do to you." He chuckled.

"I also use telepathy magic, but that's only when I truly need to. I believe that things are best left to fate, but sometimes, it's necessary to change things up." Suddenly, they were halted dead in their tracks. They took a closer look at the greenery they were about to enter and saw the Humtah. Its eyes were wide open, its body was low to the ground, and its growling was nothing that could possibly be described. "And I guess this situation calls for a change." He looked next to him and saw that Erza was ex-quiping. When she emerged, she had on the black armor, quickly named Purgatory Armor. "You ready?" She nodded her head as smoke came out of her nose and mouth. "Then let's get to it."

End of Chapter 7


	26. QA Chapter 8

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 8

Flight Armor Part III

**Note:** I hope you guys had an awesome holiday season. Just to give you an update on me, I had a really fun and busy holiday season. Now that things are starting to calm, I will start to become more prompt on my update times. And even though this may seem like the opposite, I will have more time on my hands so I might be able to change some of my story schedules and give more stories at the same time. Anyway, enjoy and have another great year.

Keiji disappeared and Erza brought out her giant sword. She held it in her hand as the Humtah disappeared from sight. She spun her body around and looked for it through the tall grasses and thick trees. She quickly a heard a quiet snap and turned around to meet the Humtah head-on. Its massive body tackled her to the ground. Luckily, her armor provided some protection, but it still hurt when she impacted the ground.

She quickly returned to her feet and scanned the area. Nothing was around her and she could hear nothing. The armor she had on definitely had its ups and downs. She was protected from head to toe, but her speed was cut by half. She continued to scan the area, but couldn't find the Humtah. When she did hear something, she inched her way closer to the sound. However, when she found the place, she saw Keiji confronting the beast.

The two of them were in a constant stare down. The one thing that shocked her was that Keiji was unarmed. She was tempted to ask what he was trying to do, but breaking that silence would be fatal so the three of them silent. A few seconds later, the Humtah made its move and jumped right at it. In the air, it swiped its arm right at him. Incredibly, he was able to dodge it and roll out of the way. Thinking on her feet, Erza charged forward and swung her sword. It somehow managed to land a blow.

Its body flew back a couple of feet which caused it to bring its attention to her. In the blink of an eye, the Humtah disappeared. Keiji looked around to try and get a hint of where it was, but nothing told him anything.

The Humtah made it deliberate to stay away from Keiji. The two of them scanned the area and waited for the next attack. Out of nowhere, the Humtah appeared and swiped at Keiji. Unable to defend in time, his body was sent flying into a nearby tree trunk and he fell to the floor, unconscious. Now, it was just Erza against the Humtah. The Humtah started to lurk around her and wait for an opening. Standing there without move, Erza was busy thinking about what she should do.

By now, she had to be fast. The Purgatory Armor she had on was way too slow for a situation like this. Luckily her opponent was taking its time so she had the ability to change her parameters. She decided to go with her original plan and ex-quiped into her Lightning Empress Armor. This move caused the Humtah to attack her head-on. It jumped her head and swiped at her. She ducked and hit it with the butt of her staff. When it landed on the other side of her, she swung her staff around and unleashed a bolt of lightning at it. Unfortunately, it was no use. The Humtah was too fast and when it reappeared, it showed up behind her and scratched her back. She dropped to her knees and whipped her staff around her back, trying to land another attack, but it disappeared before she could.

She couldn't find it, and if she kept going on with this, she wasn't going to get anywhere. She ex-quiped again and reformed into the Flame Empress Armor. She brought down her sword and a wave of fire went flying out right in front of her, completely extinguishing the forest in front of her. When she did, she caught the tail-end of the Humtah running away.

It was working. She turned around and did the same thing. Again and again, she continued to do this until the greenery around was completely to ashes. Now, she had complete view of the Humtah. There was nowhere for it to hide and now, she had the advantage. With room to move, she could do nearly anything to guarantee her victory. As the two of them had a stare down, Keiji slowly rose back onto his feet and saw what Erza did. It was very resourceful and very helpful. He silently slipped away to execute another attack.

After a few more minutes, the Humtah started to charge. Erza did as well and brought her sword behind her head, charging up her attack. When it was within striking distance, she brought her sword down, but it disappeared. She quickly heard it behind her and ex-quiped into her Giant's Armor, thrusting her staff behind her back and stabbing the Humtah right in the shoulder.

It squealed out in pain and retreated. As she watched it retreat, she leaned against her staff and took some heavy breaths. She was running out of time. She's used up a lot of magic power and things weren't close to being down. She quickly returned to her normal armor and stood up to the beast. She saw blood slowly dripping from its shoulder and was grateful that her attack worked. On the other hand, Humtah was even more furious than before. She took a deep breath and ex-quiped for the last time. When her body stopped glowing, she appeared in her Black Wing Armor. She had the plan to wear it out for as long as she could and then end with the final strike of her sword. She also had aerial advantage now so she was going to use the most of it.

It scratched its paw against the ground and charged at her. Right from the start, she could tell that its speed was cut down a lot. She was able to get a picture of where it was and where it planned on going. She smirked and gripped her sword tightly. As it got within reach, it pounced at her, but she flew up and slashed its back. It squealed out again and rolled on the floor. That was one strike. She only needed a few more until she was ready to end it.

The Humtah returned to its feet and refused to back down from the fight. Erza lowered her body and prepared for another belt. However, her sword was starting to waiver. She was definitely running out of time and her enemy was taking its time. Now, she was going to make her move. She ran at it and it waited for her. She jumped left and the Humtah swiped at her. Right as that happened, she juked right, striking it on its side.

That was two. She looked down at her sword and it continued to flash. She couldn't wait any longer. She gripped her sword and charged the Humtah with everything she had. Then suddenly out of nowhere, Keiji appeared and jumped onto its back. This caused the Humtah to jump onto its hind legs, completely exposing the weakest spot of its body. He wrapped one of his arms around his neck and the other one went deep into one of its wounds. It immediately squealed out in pain.

"Do it now!"

"Aaahhhh!" She left the ground and flew as fast she could towards it. The Humtah was too hurt to get Keiji off of its body and defend against Erza. As she neared, it closed its eyes and took fate as it came. Erza continued to yell until her sword pierced its skin. Its eyes opened wide and its body quickly went limp. Erza pulled out and Keiji jumped off. The two of them watched as the beast slowly fell to the floor, releasing its last breath.

As Erza watched it die, it looked at her one last time with such big eyes. However, that look it gave her was unlike the previous looks. Its eyes were watery and it seemed as if it was accepting this result. A few more seconds went by and the Humtah closed its eyes as it met finally met its end.

"This beast is such a rare asset. What should we do with it?" Erza looked at it and remembered its last look it gave to her. For some reason, it felt as if he was offering his body to her. She returned to her normal armor and brought out one of her swords. She knelt down next to it and pressed her hand against its forehead.

"You were a worthy opponent and I accept your offer with a heavy heart." She suddenly started to skin it and Keiji started to panic.

"Wait, what are you doing?" She stopped for a second and looked back at him with sad eyes.

"I believe this is what it wanted. Once I'm done, the rest of the body will be given back to the forest. We've done enough here." She turned back around and continued to skin it.

After a few minutes, she rose onto her feet with the entire hide over her shoulder. She walked off in silence and Keiji had no urge to follow her. He watched her walk off alone and watched her from afar. She didn't say a single word and she was completely quiet. He was wondering if she was alright, but she didn't look as if something was wrong. After about an hour or so, she emerged from the shadows and returned to Keiji.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Let's keep going." She tried to walk past him, but he stopped her before she could.

"Whatever you did, I think you did the right thing. Now, I know that I didn't really teach you anything, but you're a smart girl. I can tell that you've learned many things from this experience. I think it's time for us to go home." He walked past Erza and she turned around to follow him. Within a few minutes, the two of them made it out of the Endless Forest. When they emerged from the forest, they were surprisingly at the edge of Magnolia. Erza was completely in shock.

"Did you know that you were going this way?" She turned around, but Keiji was already gone. She looked around her, but he was nowhere to be seen. She dropped her head in sadness. That such a crappy way to part, and with someone who actually made such an impact on her. She took a step forwards when a voice came into her head.

"Erza, it's me. I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye to you in person, but there were things I still need to do. I just wanted to tell you that you are definitely the most incredible person I've ever met. Your strength and will are unparalleled to anything I've ever seen in this world. I ask that you spread this lifestyle to everyone you meet as to make this world a better, more sacred place. To be honest, you are the first person to be able to make it out of the Endless Forest so I want to meet with you again sometime. I hope we can do that."

"Thank you Okura-sensei, you were the first person to have such a composed personality with such a modest magic ability. I've never met anyone like you in my life and I would like to say this. Fairy Tail will accept you with open arms and we are always there for others so I think we'll cross paths eventually."

"Haha, you can call me Keiji, and thank you once again for such an amazing time. Sayonara, Erza Scarlet." The line was cut and a smile emerged as she made her way back to the guild.

End of Chapter 8


	27. QA Chapter 9

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 9

Benizakura Part I

After she parted ways with Okura Keiji, she quickly made her way back to the guild. While she did, she was too busy counting the pieces of armor that she owns.

Heaven's Wheel was her first one. It was her most prized possession and she was thankful that she obtained. The Farewell Fairy Armor she attained as a gift from Makarov and Mirajane. The Seduction Armor she obtained from the shopkeeper along with the Armadura Fairy Armor that she used to defeat the demon's creation. The Purgatory Armor that has such a dark history. The Flame Empress Armor that she got from a tournament. The Sea Empress Armor she got from an enemy terrorizing a small town. The Lightning Empress Armor that nearly defeated her at the small village. Black Wing Armor that she used to defeat the Humtah. The Giant's Armor that was given to her by a village of giants as a gift. The Morning Star Armor that she still hasn't found a good use for it.

And finally, she created the Flight Armor that she used from the hide of the Humtah. She hasn't been able to use it yet, but she had the idea that she would be able to use its speed to her advantage. She crafted a bikini-like top with short shorts made of the same material. She also had purple leggings with cat ears above her head.

When she returned to the guild, everyone was back and already partying. She made her way to Mira's counter and stopped off for a break.

"Hey Erza, you've been really busy lately."

"Yeah, I know. I think it's really starting to hit me now. I think I may take a little bit of a break."

"That's good. Don't overwork yourself too much. It's good to take a break every once in a while." She smiled and asked for something easy to drink. Mira also gave her a strawberry cake and Erza was immediately satisfied.

As she ate her cake, Natsu and Gray made their way into the guild. Like always, the two of them were going at. Erza would have stopped them, but she was too busy eating her cake. The whole guild was so peaceful and it felt so nice to just sit back and relax.

A couple of minutes went by and things were slowly starting to settle down. Erza finally finished up her cake and was about to head to Fairy Tail Suites when the guild door was suddenly slammed open. A mysterious man with a long cloak was standing at the front door, one hand on the door and the other one on a long sword. Everyone in the guild was wondering what that guy's problem was. Makarov suddenly appeared out of nowhere and confronted the mysterious man.

"Excuse me, young man, how can I help you?"

"Is this the Fairy Tail guild?"

"Yes. What is your business here?"

"I've heard stories that this guild is on the rise to becoming the most powerful guild in Fiore. I've come to test that rumor. With this sword in my hand, I will take any and every one of you on. If you accept my challenge, I will be under the tree in the city square. Please don't make me wait." He turned around, closed the door, and walked off in silence. Everyone in the guild was completely shocked.

"Who was that guy?"

"Why would he want to challenge us so suddenly?"

"Is there an ulterior motive to this challenge?"

"Everyone, calm down. It's obvious that this man poses no threat to our guild, but I don't approve of what he expects of us. For those of you who wish to fight, I won't stop you. Just know that you shouldn't take this fight lightly."

"Don't worry gramps. This guy will regret those words. I won't let him beat up on anyone here. I'll stop him."

"Good luck, hothead. You can barely complete a mission without making such a mess of everything."

"Chill out. If you don't think I can, how about we go right now?"

"Bring it on, slanty eyes." The two of them jumped on each other and started to fight. Their fights were always so confusing that no one could tell what was going on. Out of nowhere, Makarov's hands dove into the pile and grabbed both of them.

"Enough of this fighting! If you're gonna do that, go do it out there!" He chucked them out of the guild building where they crashed into the ground, nearly unconscious. "Now, anyone who wishes to meet this man's demands, please feel free to meet him underneath the tree." Makarov walked off I silence as most of the men from the guild got up and walked out of the guild.

When everyone made it to the tree, they saw the man waiting for them. They lined up in a line and stared him down. He saw that they decided to accept his challenge. He walked away from the tree and confronted everyone else.

"Thank you for accepting my challenge. The rumors are definitely true that Fairy Tail doesn't back down from a fight. Anyway, I'll give you guys a choice: Fight me one-on-one or all together."

"A man doesn't fight unfairly!" Out of nowhere, Elfman broke through the pack and charged the man. His arm transformed into his beast arm and he punched right at his face. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared. Elfman was completely in shock that he nearly crashed into the ground. When he regained his stance, he looked around to find him. As he did, the man appeared right in front of him and slashed him with his sword. However, it wasn't his disappearance that shocked everyone; it was the strength of his attack. With that one slash, he sent Elfman flying across the square and into a pile of boxes.

"Elfman, are you okay?!" A couple of guys ran to his aid. Luckily, he was fine. The attack simply knocked him out.

"Macao, let's show this guy what's up?"

"You don't have to tell me twice, Wakaba." Together, the two of them charged right for him. Wakaba created a smokescreen which allowed Macao to throw some fireballs at him. When the fireballs parted the smokescreen, the man wasn't there. They looked around, but he wasn't there. They heard a soft snap of a branch and they looked up to see him flying right down at him. The two of them aimed up, but their attacks missed. He managed to land right in between them. From below, he slashed at their legs which sent them into the air. He then jumped up and finished the job.

3 down and none of them were able to land a blow. After them, a couple more guys tried to defeat the mysterious man, but it worked to no avail. He finished them off in seconds without shedding a single drop of sweat or energy. When their numbers started to dwindle, he couldn't help but speak up.

"I guess rumors are just rumors. I think I might take my business elsewhere."

"Hold it, bastard." He looked up and saw Gray emerging from the crowd. "Don't look down on us just yet." Gray quickly created two ice swords and leapt right for him. Incredibly, their swords met blade to blade, but Gray's swords were immediately shattered. Thinking on his feet, he shot out multiple lances right at him. Instead of dodging like the other times, he made quick work of his attack. As his ice was destroyed, the man flew right through the sparkles and landed a direct blow in Gray's body. He was sent flying into the crowd and luckily he was caught before flying any further.

"And don't think so high of yourself, boy." Gray was defeated and the guys of Fairy Tail were starting to worry. The man looked around the crowd and everyone was starting to back away.

"Is there no one else here to challenge me?"

"Here!" From the middle of the crowd came Natsu. Everyone in the guild started to cheer and pat him on his back. He was their last hope. He walked out into the open area and stood up to the mysterious man.

"Hm, so what kind of magic do you use?"

"You'll find out. Let's get this over with."

"I agree. Let's." the man lowered his body and charged Natsu. Natsu stayed calm and waited for him to get within arm's reach.

"Karyuu no Koen!" A huge ball of fire was unleashed in front of him. Surprisingly, the man made it through by brushing the fire away with his sword. Natsu saw that he was still coming and this time, he had his sword ready to strike. "Karyuu no Tekken!" His fist met with the man's sword and the two of them were pushed away from each other.

"Hm, very impressive. I've never seen someone withstand my sword with their own fists."

"I don't wanna hear you talk. Come at me again." The man smiled and immediately charged at him. He swung right in front of Natsu and he dodged to the right. He then swung at his head and Natsu dropped onto his hands.

"Karyuu no Kagizume!" His leg swung right at his head, but the man ducked right in time. This time, the butt of his sword managed to nail him right in the gut. This caused Natsu's body to be pushed back. As it did, he brought his sword back forward and slashed him upwards. Luckily, Natsu was quick enough to bring his arms up to defend the attack. However, it didn't really do much. His body was sent flying across the way and he managed to get on his knees. With his arms still in the air, he kept his head down and tried to stand up. Unfortunately, something was preventing him from doing so. His legs were locked and his arms felt as if they were frozen. He couldn't believe this. The man recognized his defeat and sheathed up his sword.

"I guess that's it then. I expected more." Natsu gritted his teeth. He knew he could do more, but something was stopping him. As he tried to get up, a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Erza standing right above him.

"Don't worry Natsu. You did your part."

"Woooo! Yeah!" The crowds went nuts. Erza finally made it out to the little spectacle being held. Their hope was quickly restored as she walked out in front of the man with serious eyes and not a single tremor in her step.

"A woman? You people must be joking."

"It's not smart to judge other people's appearances."

"My apologies." He bowed to her. "What's your name, sweety?"

"Erza Scarlet." The crowd started to cheer again. Erza was quickly becoming the guild's favorite mage. She stood there with shoulders up and her head held high. She wasn't going to fail and she wanted to make it known to this mysterious man.

"Well Erza Scarlet, you seem like a worthy opponent." He gripped his swords and lowered his body. "How about you show me what you can do?"

End of Chapter 9


	28. QA Chapter 10

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 10

Benizakura Part II

Erza stood up straight and stared down her opponent. Her body glowed and she ex-quiped in Heaven's Wheel. She quickly took a step forward and flew right at him. Their swords met and then they switched places. They leapt at each other again. Clink. Back and forth, the two of them met swords and it appeared that none of them were gaining ground.

After a few minutes, they slid apart and continued to stare each other down. However, when they regained their footing, something happened. The swords that Erza was holding and parts of her armor broke. Her swords were shattered and her armor crumbled in certain areas. The crowds were in complete shock. They all knew Erza was strong, but to see her lose this kind of ground worried them. She looked down and saw that her armor was ruined for the time being. She returned to her normal armor and brushed off the dust from her shoulders.

"You've definitely taken me by surprise."

"Haha, you're a funny girl. _You're _the one who's given me the surprise. Not many girls can withstand a bout with me."

"I see. So you're that kind of person who sees himself as being superior over others. That's why you've challenged our guild."

"I could say that. But then again, that might not be true." Erza lowered her body.

"Well, even if it isn't, I'll make you regret your choice." She leapt forward with her body glowing. When her sword met his, she appeared in her Armadura Fairy. With another dual-wielding armor, she kept the advantage. Up, right, left, down; she swung everywhere, but her opponent kept countering and dodging. She was starting to get a little frustrated for nothing was working. For her, she can usually figure out her opponent in a few minutes, but something about this guy kept her constantly thinking about what to do.

The two of the continued to cross swords until Erza's armor was destroyed once again. Now, the people in the crowd were starting to chat. They were all wondering if she was capable of defeating this guy. She retreated to regain her composure.

My swords are working and my armor isn't holding up. What can I do now? Is this a battle of strength or intelligence? I don't think I can waste time trying to overpower him so I'll do this instead.

Her body glowed and she reappeared in her Purgatory Armor. Smoke was coming out of her mouth and nose. Her aura was so threatening. She stood there with red eyes and her giant sword in hand. She planned to outlast him with this tactic. She brought up her sword and walked towards him. He simply smiled and resumed his tactics. In that armor, her speed was extremely low which allowed him to swerve around her without a problem. Left and right, her body was battered, but the Purgatory Armor managed to hold up. As she started to learn his moves, she turned her body and swung to the left. Incredibly, her giant sword met his and he was sent flying back. However, when she brought her sword back up, it crumbled into pieces. She managed to get him off of her, but her sword was unable to breach him completely.

"Very impressive. First, you withstand my attacks and now, you attack me with that incredible strike. I have to lend my sword to you. You are the first and only person to ever do this? I'm really starting to enjoy this." Erza examined her body and noticed that her Purgatory Armor wasn't going to hold up any longer. She ex-quiped back into her normal armor.

What can I do now? Just that attack wasted another piece of armor. Judging by how he's attack before, none of the armors I have can do anything against this. What should I do? She looked into the crowd and everyone was looking at her with wondrous eyes. They believed in her. They wanted her to be successful. She just had to bring something out of her to convince the crowd that she could and will be victorious. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, are you out of options? If so, allow to end this match." Without another word, he leapt right at her. As he was in striking distance, she opened her eyes and ex-quiped. As he laid down his sword, she vanished. "What the heck?" He looked around, but couldn't find her. "Where did you go?"

Out of nowhere, a slight gust of wind blew right at him and he turned around to meet Erza's sword head-on. She pushed the sword away and vanished again.

"Aha, it appears you had one more trick up your sleeve."

She was using her Flight Armor. Thanks to the hide of the Humtah, she thought that its speed would carry over to her. Luckily it did and now, she had the advantage yet again. He couldn't tell where she was or where she coming from. The only thing he could do was be patient and wait for her to the make her move. Then, at the last second, he would try to defend himself.

Erza continued this strategy as it was definitely wearing him down. She was unable to land a strong blow, but he kept pushing him back. The crowd was on their feet. Erza was finally showing some promise as her opponent was unsure of what was coming next. He swung around and around until he finally landed a strike to her side. She retreated and regained her form. He saw her across the way holding her wound.

"It appears that this has come to an end. I'm finishing this now." She looked up when a thought suddenly flooded her mind. Whenever she attacked, there was a small opening every time he swung his sword. It was an inch right below his neck. If she could land that strike, it was all over. She stood up and held her swords tight. Without wasting another second, she disappeared. "That trick won't work anymore. I see you." He yelled and swung his sword to the right. He somehow landed another strike on her shoulder which caused her to reform. However, when she looked at him, she was wearing a smile.

"Too late," she mouthed. From behind him, she created a sword and aimed it right at its opening. He caught a glare in his eye and knew what was happening. The sword was already plunging towards him. It was too late. He closed his eyes and accepted this strike.

Shink. The crowds were all in awe. They couldn't believe what happened. After being slashed by his sword, Erza rolled on the ground and returned to her feet. On the other hand, her opponent was completely motionless. Her other sword was straight through the ground right next to him. She looked up and saw that he was still standing. Did it work? As she watched him, the time clicked on and nothing happened. It didn't work. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and then onto his stomach.

"Outstanding."

"Wwoooo!" The crowd went nuts. She did it. Erza defeated the mysterious challenger. After so long, the crowds finally got to see Fairy Tail win against this guy. They threw their fists in the air and screamed for Erza. She was definitely the strongest and it proved in that match. The crowds longed to pick her up and parade her through the city, but she ended up walking back to her opponent and kneeling down beside him.

"You lost. All I ask now is that you leave this place and never come back." He opened his eyes slowly and smiled.

"I will do as you wish, master swordsman. I just have one request. Take this sword. Only the strongest swordsman can control it. Now, I believe that that's you. Benizakura will lead you down a road of strength and success. Nothing can defeat it, and now, nothing can defeat you." She grabbed the sword out of his hand and stood up. Right as she did, the crowd grabbed her and hoisted her up on their shoulders.

"Erza! Erza! Erza!" She looked back at her opponent who was slowly getting up. When he returned to his feet, he turned around and left town. As he did, he waved his hand back towards her. She saw it and acknowledged him back. For such a mysterious man, he definitely was a man of pride. He meant to harm. He just wanted to see who the strongest in Fairy Tail was. Now, Erza was in contention for the strongest.

The parade lasted nearly all day until Makarov asked that everyone return to the guild. The townspeople escorted her back with even more chanting. When they got the guild building, they dropped her off and left them to their business.

Inside the building, everyone was crowding and waiting for something to happen. As they did, everyone in the guild went over to Erza and patted her on the back, congratulating her on her victory. After a few minutes, Makarov took to the stage with a couple of interesting people. He cleared his throat and started his speech.

"First off, I'd like to say thank you to Erza. You were able to stop that man from furthering defeating our members." Some of the people cheered her name and patted her on the back again. "Alright everyone, calm down. Anyway, let's get down to business. As you all know, every year we have our annual S-Class test. Unfortunately, last year, no one was able to become an S-Class mage. This year, I'm hoping that someone will be able to step it up and overcome the challenges of this test. So, without further ado, let me announce the participants for this year's test. Cana Alberona. Erza Scarlet." The guild went nuts for the names, especially Erza's. However, what was next was what was going to be the shocker. "This year, I'm inviting everyone in the guild to join the test. We'll host it at Tenroujima. The test will be a tournament including some of our S-class mages. Laxus and Mystogan will be participating in this year's test."

"What?" They couldn't believe it. Mystogan was there and participating. Among the three S-class mages, he was the scarcest. No one really knew who he was and he never affiliated himself with anyone.

"For those of you who are participating in this year's test, your task is simple: Beat everyone you come across and become an S-Class mage."

End of Chapter 10


	29. QA Chapter 11

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 11

Tenroujima Part I

The guild was emptied out. Erza and Cana were the only ones left. They were forced to wait until everyone else was already at Tenroujima. As they waited, the two of them were on-edge. For Cana, this was her 5th time. On the other hand, this was Erza's first time. Although Makarov told them the details of the test, the two of them were still pretty nervous about the whole thing. They were unsure of what exactly they had to do.

"So are you nervous?"

"Kind of. It's kind of a shock to be in the S-Class test."

"Why is that?"

"Only recently did I actually start taking on real jobs so it kind of feels weird."

"Well, that's good. Makarov sees your determination and strength."

"It just doesn't seem like I've improved that much."

"Erza, trust me. It always catches me by surprise that I keep participating in this test."

"How do you feel about doing it?"

"I just take it as an opportunity to do my very best. It's always hard to pass because master always manages to bring in an S-Class mage."

"But it does make sense for master to do that. We can't become one until we're strong enough to beat one."

"Yeah, I just hate that part because that's the part that always hurts me the most."

"Well, things might be different this time. You might finally get past them."

"But then I'd have to go against you, and I know that you're really strong. It's just not worth trying my hardest." Erza looked at Cana and she had such a crushed look. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to become an S-Class mage, but hearing this from Cana made her feel like she shouldn't. She simply put her hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"It'll be alright. Whatever happens, happens."

"Yeah, you're right." They smiled at each other as Makarov walked through the front door.

"Are you ready?" They nodded their heads and followed him to the port of Magnolia.

During the trip to Tenroujima, the two of them didn't speak. They just kept their eyes out to the sea and stayed calm. For Erza, her mind was racing. She was thinking about the test and what was expected of her. After what happened to that guy who challenged the guild, she felt that she had a lot on her shoulders. She wanted to be an S-Class mage, but she was doubting herself a bit. Since Mystogan and Laxus were participating in this test, things were definitely going to be a challenge. Ever since she joined the guild, Laxus was always known for being incredibly strong. And now, she would possibly have to face him. After a few minutes, they finally arrived at Tenroujima and Makarov went into details about the test.

"Alright, here's the test: You two will start on opposite sides of the island and you'll have to make your way to the center. However, you will meet opposition along the way. Along with the S-Class mages you'll have to fight, the beasts on Tenrou will also play a role. Once you make it to the center, you'll have another fight to become the top. Last one standing will hopefully be an S-Class mage. Begin!" Out of nowhere, the two of them disappeared from the boat and when they reappeared, they were on opposite sides of the island. "Be the first one on the top of Tenrou and the last one standing."

Without wasting another second, Erza took out her sword and charged into the forest. Immediately, she had to cut down a few monsters, but nothing was too difficult for her. She tried to keep her mind calm and think only about what was in front of her. As furthered herself into the forest, she suddenly saw bolt of lightning streak across the sky. This caused her to stop.

"Lightning? That means…" Someone walked out from behind a tree and Erza knew what was happening. "Mystogan. It appears you're my first fight."

"It's good to see you again Erza. It's definitely obvious that you've grown as a mage."

"Thank you. That means a lot, coming from an S-Class mage. Anyway, let's get down to business."

"Let's." Mystogan brought out one of his staffs and swung it right at her. A huge blast of purple light came flying right at her. Thinking on her feet, she ex-quiped into Heaven's Wheel and flew up into the sky.

"Blumenblatt!" 20 swords appeared out of thin air and aimed right at Mystogan.

"Kyousui." Her swords hit his Magic Circle and reflected right back at her.

"Kansou!" Her body glowed and she vanished. This caught Mystogan off guard. She was able to escape that attack in such a time. She suddenly appeared right behind him and he dodged her attack. He saw her in her Flight Armor. However, he planned ahead. She landed right in his Magic Circle.

"Mikagura." 5 huge Magic Circles appeared right over her head and lit up immediately. The 5 circles created a bright light that hit the ground hard. He watched his attack hit dead on and when the light finally disappeared, she wasn't there. He then heard the soft rustling of leaves. He turned around to see Erza right in front of him. She managed to slash him with her sword and that caused his body to turn into a body of mist. When he regained his form, he stuck his 5 staffs into the ground and prepared another attack. "Matenrou." Erza was suddenly transported into the sky and was enveloped in a bizarre hallucination. However, it only lasted a few seconds. She ripped through the illusion and appeared in her Purgatory Armor. "Impressive. It appears that that armor prevents my magic from working on you." She remained silent. "But it appears that things have gone on for too long." His staffs fell to the floor and he lowered his body. He then suddenly charged right at her with only his fists.

With incredible speed, she swung her sword and nailed him right in the gut. He grunted as the intense power of her sword crushed his insides. This attack caused him to be sent flying into a nearby tree. When he looked up, he saw her glowing and flying right at him. He tried to reach for his staff, but it was too light. 5 streaks of light came right at him and Erza ended up right behind him.

"Pentagram Sword!"

"Aaahhhh!" His body was sent flying into the air. When he returned to the earth, his body crashed into the ground. Right as he made contact with the ground, Erza stood over him with her sword pointed right as his neck. "You win. Simply outstanding." She reached out her hand and he grabbed it, returning to his feet. "I wish you good luck and I know you can do it."

"Thank you Mystogan. It was an honor to fight with you." She said farewell and ran further into the forest.

As she did, she continued to think about that fight. Even though she won, she was completely confused about what just happened. The magic he used was something she's never seen before. Luckily, she wasn't hit by anything, but everything he did seemed so powerful. The one attack he landed was so strange. The thing she saw as she was restrained was so weird. Nothing made sense to her yet she still came out victorious. And now, she was about to take on one more person. Cana or Laxus. One of those two people would stand in her way of becoming an S-Class mage.


	30. QA Chapter 12

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 12

Tenroujima Part II

Erza continued to run through the forest, avoiding any unnecessary fighting. As she ran, she noticed that it was quiet. The last time things felt out of order was when she saw that lightning bolt shoot across the sky and when she encountered Mystogan. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was completely calm.

I wonder who won that fight. As much as I'd love for it to happen, I get the feeling that I'll have to fight Laxus. What should I do? I've never fought him and I've never seen him fight. It's obvious that he's strong, but I wonder how strong he really is. She ran forever which gave her a lot of time to think. She was planning on what to do against him and what armor she should use. After a few minutes, she finally made it to the center of the island. The Tenrou tree stood right over her. The huge tree caused her to look up and take it its majestic aura. As she continued to look up, she heard the snap of a branch and turned to face her enemy.

"Ah, I guess Mystogan isn't as strong as people believe."

"Don't talk down about him. He fought proudly."

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore. This fight is between you and me, but I warn you now, Cana did not stand a chance. I've been waiting her for a while so I've had some time to regain the magic I used up against her."

"Why do you think so highly of yourself?"

"It's only natural for the guild's strongest to act this way." Erza clenched her fists.

"But you're not the strongest," she said underneath her breath.

"What was that?" She gritted her teeth and looked right at him.

"You're not the strongest!" Laxus was quite shocked. Erza wasn't prone to losing her temper, but for this situation, she had every right to.

"Haha, you're funny, Erza. I guess I'll just have to show you how strong I am." Laxus widened his eyes and pointed his arm right at her. In the blink of an eye, a bolt of lightning came flying right her and exploded right on contact. "That's pathetic. Even Cana was able to last against my first strike." As she dust subsided, he was quickly shocked by what he saw. Erza was looking right at him with not a single scratch on her body. She had on her Lightning Empress Armor and was ready to fight.

"Don't think down on me either." She spun her staff around and shot right at Laxus. Before it could hit him, he shot another lightning bolt right at it and neutralized the attack. As the smoke subsided, Erza pointed her staff at him again.

Out of nowhere, tons of lightning balls were shot right at her. Incredibly, she avoided the attack by using her Flight Armor. Through the bright light of his attack, Laxus was unable to track where Erza wandered off to. He looked around, but couldn't find him. After a couple of seconds passed, she finally emerged and charged right at him. His body quickly turned into lightning and flew around the sky. She watched escape her grasp and stayed on the ground. When he returned to normal, he had a smile on his face. "You know, you're surprising me by the second, Erza. Try to keep surprising me."

"Kansou! Tenrin, blumenbatt!" Erza's swords took aim at him. In the blink of an eye, they shot right at him. However, he brought his hands together and engulfed himself in lightning. The power and intensity of his lightning burnt her swords to a crisp. The ashes fell to the ground and Erza was completely shocked. Such power to be able to burn her swords to a crisp.

"You seem shocked. You're not looking down on me, are you?" His body suddenly turned into lightning and Erza had a hard time tracking him down. Before she knew it, he appeared behind her and punched her straight in the back. However, his punch wasn't very powerful. It was the shock of his lightning and pained her more. The punch caused her to fall forward. When she did, he appeared in front of her and punched her across the face. The same feeling rushed to her face as he came around one more time and kicked her in the gut. This time, her body was sent flying back and crashed into the stump of a tree. She grabbed her stomach as the shock from his attacks limited her movements. She tried to get on her feet, but her body was slowly feeling like it was paralyzed.

"What kind of magic is this?"

"Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction! Raging Bolt!" Laxus stuck his arm into the air and a huge bolt of lightning struck his arm. His body accumulated all of that energy and he punched it right at Erza. Unable to move, she took the entire blow. The lightning exploded on contact and the light filled the sky. Even the ones who were watching from afar were blinded by the light.

After a few minutes, the light disappeared and the smoke subsided from view. He stared her down with a smile, but when everything cleared, she was still standing. However, as she clearly came into view, she was in her Purgatory Armor. The armor was completely battered and she was struggling to stay on her feet.

"Hm, impressive how you're still standing after that. You're the first person to take that attack and still be standing. You're magic power must be getting stronger. Unfortunately, I'm ending this now." A huge cloud formed right above them and he stuck up his arm. Lightning strikes hit everywhere around them and most of them hit Laxus right on the arm. After a few seconds, the lightning strikes stopped and charged up his attack. "Rairyuu Hotengeki!" He hurled his arm right at her and a huge lightning spear shot right at her.

This time, the attack had little impact. When he sharpened his eyes, he saw that she was in her Lightning Empress Armor again. Her staff was pointed right at him. Also, his attack disappeared within seconds. With the strength she had left, she thrust her staff right at him and the same attack came flying right back at him.

The redirected attack exploded on contact, but nothing happened. Since Laxus was a lightning magic user, this change of events did nothing to him. When he looked back over at Erza, she was struggling to stand. That attack that hit her directly was really taking its toll and the bad thing was that the fight wasn't over. She looked at Laxus and he was completely fine. He took a step forward and started to make his way over to her. There was nothing she could do. Her body was still paralyzed and all of her strength was being drained. She couldn't do it anymore. She dropped onto her knees and dropped her head.

"Erza…" She did her best to look. When she did, she saw Laxus sticking out his hand to her. Behind him, the other members of the guild were there waiting. "Congratulations, you passed the test."

She couldn't believe it. She passed? How was that possible? She didn't defeat him. Was this the catch?

"You showed determination in a situation that seemed hopeless. You withstood my attack and you're still willing to fight. That's why you pass." Those words blew her mind. It still didn't seem like it was true. She took Laxus' hand and suddenly, that shock in her body disappeared. She was then able to return to her feet. "You fought well. Good job." With those words, he turned around and headed to the boats.

After he left, everyone else in the guild swarmed her and gave her their congratulations. A couple of the members hoisted her up on their shoulders and walked her to the boats. As they did, Natsu broke through the crowd and grabbed her hand.

"Erza, you were incredible. Fight me when we get back." She scoffed. Natsu was always the same. She was just happy to see the joy in his eyes as they got on the boats and headed home. On the way back, Makarov took her to the side and talked to her about the test.

"Master, how did I pass? You said that I had to be the last one standing."

"That may be true, but I also said you have to defeat your opponents. What you did was something no one has ever done. You defeated one of our S-Class mages. Against Laxus, you were able to stand your ground and last against him. No one has been able to do this, especially against Laxus. Now, I'm not saying that Laxus is incredibly powerful, but it would have been a true act of strength to defeat him. I think you'll find that power eventually and you'll be able to do. For now, I want you to give the other members hope that participating in the S-Class test is possible and that anyone can do it." Erza smiled and knelt down in front of Makarov.

"Thank you for this opportunity, master. I promise not to let you down."

"I trust you won't. You never do."

When they got back to Magnolia, everyone cheered and ran rampant through the city. On the other hand, Erza was on the quiet side. She silently made her way to Fairy Tail Suites were she unwound from a long day of guild business. When she got to the suite, she made her way to the bathroom and got in.

The heat of the bath was so soothing. She dipped her entire body in the water and it felt as if all of her aches and pains disappeared. As she sat there by herself, the door suddenly opened and she looked back to see Cana making her way into the bath.

"Hey Erza."

"Hey Cana, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. A little sore though, but it's nothing too serious." There was suddenly an awkward silence between them. "Oh yeah, congratulations on becoming an S-Class mage. I know you'll be great."

"Thank you. That really means a lot to hear." She smiled at Cana and she smiled back. A few minutes went by and Cana stood up and walked towards the door. Before she left, she stopped and turned her head.

"Change hearts, Erza. Now that you're an S-Class mage, you have the power to change the hearts of people you meet. I know you can do it." With that, she wrapped the towel around her body and walked out.

Change hearts. That was deep, coming from Cana. Usually Cana has such a care-free attitude, but she was definitely a little off now. Why was she acting like that? Why did she ask that of me? It doesn't really make sense. She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. As she was left to her thoughts, the thought of changing the hearts of people she meets seemed really interesting. She smiled and sunk deeper into the bath.

Today was such a great day, and I promise to make the rest of my days even better.

End of Chapter 12


	31. QA Chapter 13

The Queen's Armor

Chapter 13

Being S-Class

After the S-Class test, Erza was hard at work. She took nearly every job she could and was able to complete every one of them with soaring colors. Over the next couple of months, Erza acquired even more pieces of armor. However, some of the most prized pieces she came across was the Robe of Yuen, Piercing Armor, and the Adamantine Armor.

She gained the Robe of Yuen from a famous family in the faraway lands. She offered her help in protecting their family and in return, they asked the best craftsman to make their sleekest armor and strongest staff ever. She quickly accepted their offer and they thanked her for her service.

She also acquired the Piercing Armor from defeating a beast that destroying a town. The beast was thorn-type beast. Its armor was extremely strong, but Erza was able to overpower it with her Purgatory Armor. She used its armored shell to create a sword and staff to call her own.

And finally, the Adamantine Armor was her most prized possession during her time on the road. She gained it from a weird job. A construction crew asked for help to mine a valuable ore in a deep place in the world. That ore was called Adamantine and Erza was more than happy to help them out. When she reached the place where they were going to mine, she was surprised. The place was completely covered in Adamantine. There was so much that she had enough to craft her own armor. Incredibly, that armor was the definition of ultimate defense. Adamantine was known to be the strongest thing in the world and now that she had it as her armor, she nearly felt invincible.

During her trips from to and fro, it gave her time to think. She realized that her character had changed drastically. While being S-Class, she chose to be more serious about things. She also distanced herself from the people of the guild. This wasn't meant to be a way of anti-socialism, she just wanted to focus on the things she was doing.

Unfortunately, she lost connection with a lot of people from the guild. Natsu and Gray both felt kind of rejected by her since they never see her anymore. She was unable to talk with Cana ever since the S-Class test. She was even distant with Makarov. However, he didn't show much concern. He knew that she was doing her job as an S-Class mage and that nothing else really mattered.

Now, it was getting harder for her to keep track of her pieces of armor. Heaven's Wheel, Armadura Fairy, Flame Empress, Sea Empress, Lightning Empress, Black Wing Armor, Giant Armor, Morning Star, Purgatory Armor, Flight Armor, Benizakura, Robe of Yuen, Piercing Armor, and Adamantine Armor. Those were her combat ones. On the other hand, she had a huge variety of other pieces of armor that she doesn't even use for combat. As she thought about her collection, a tear fell from her eye. She was fulfilling her goal at such a fast pace.

When she returned to the guild, she didn't waste any time. She went up to the second floor, grabbed the best job she could, and went off without saying a word. She was so quick and quiet that no one was able to spot her. On the way to her next job, she looked down and carefully checked the job description.

_Help Wanted. Family Estate is in danger with no one left to trust. We're asking for someone, anyone to help us. Multiple threats are pouring in on our doorstep and we're running out of options. Please help._

_-The Heartfilia Estate_

Heartfilia? That sounds like an important name. I wonder what the problem is. Well, we're gonna found out when we get there so let's not get too antsy.

When she arrived at the place, she was shocked. Their house was huge, their land that they owned was humungous, and everything else was huge. She walked through their garden examined everything in it. Everything was so beautiful and so peaceful that she was starting to question the details. She walked up to the door and knocked. At first, there was no response. She knocked again and distant voice broke through the door.

"Who's there?!"

"Oh, um, we received your request for help. I'm from Fairy Tail. My name is…" Out of nowhere, the door swung open and a blonde teenaged girl stood right there.

"You're from Fairy Tail?"

"I am." She fainted and fell into Erza's arms. "Um, I'm assuming this is your daughter."

"Yes, sorry about her. This is Lucy. I'm Jude. Are you truly here to help us?" She nodded her head. "Well, I'd like to thank you in advance. Your help is really needed. Thank you." HE stuck out his hand and she shook firmly. "Now, if you don't mind, could you take my daughter up to her room? It's the first room on the left of the stairs." She picked her up and carried her over her shoulders.

When she got into her room, she was immediately surprised again. The room was huge. She set her down gently on her bed. The girl was unconscious on the bed and Erza checked around the entire room. She checked the closet and the window. It was locked and she looked outside. Everything seemed normal which caused her to think if the situation was really that desperate. After a couple of minutes, the girl squirmed around on her bed and finally opened her eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. What happened?"

"Haha, you fainted."

"I did? That seems a little odd of me. Anyway, who are you?"

"I'm a member of Fairy Tail. Accepted your family's request for help and now, I'm here." Lucy's face lit up.

"Oh my gosh, so it was true. You are a Fairy. What's it like? How are the jobs? How are the people? It's always been my dream to become a member of Fairy Tail and now, there's member inside my room. This is a dream come true." Erza couldn't help but smile. This girl was so optimistic for being in such an interesting situation.

"Now, I don't mean to be rash, but what kind of dangers is your family facing?"

"Oh, we've received numerous threats that our home is going to be destroyed and that we are as good as dead."

"Interesting, and has anything happened yet?"

"Thankfully no, but we're trying to stay smart and not do anything to attract any attention."

"I see. Well, I'm gonna take my leave and check the house. She walked to the door and left the room. As she closed the door, she still was thinking about that smile that girl had on when she told her that she was a member of Fairy Tail. She smiled and walked to the front door. She was then stopped by Jude, but she told him that she was going to do a quick perimeter check. He had two of his guards escort her around the house to give her any information she needed.

As she walked around the place, it seemed like it went on forever. Their estate had a wall around their land and a watch tower on every corner. She started by visiting each tower and asking them about their cautionary provisions. Unfortunately, she was disappointed because all of the men on the towers seemed like they had absolutely no experience.

After that, she patrolled the walls, checking every inch of it. She made sure that nothing looked peculiar or that nothing was tampered with. All around the wall she went and nothing was wrong. Once that was done, she checked the outside of the house to make sure that there were no vulnerable points to enter through. There was nothing to worry about and she returned back inside the house. When she did, she saw Jude and Lucy were walking into the kitchen for some dinner. She followed the crowd of people into the kitchen and told them that everything was good and that they shouldn't worry about anything. They thanked her and dug into their dinner. As they ate, Lucy looked up and saw that Erza was just standing there.

"Um, do you wanna join us?"

"Oh, no thank you. I can last."

"Please, we insist that you join us." She looked at the daughter and father and they were both looking at her with sincere eyes. Now, she couldn't refuse their offer so she walked to the table when a distant alarm came from the towers. She told them to sound one if something was happening.

"Excuse me, but I must attend to my job now. Please find a place to hide. This should all be over soon." Everyone stood up and headed to the safest part of the house. On the other hand, Erza and the rest of house guards followed her outside. "Guard, what's wrong?!"

"There's a swarm of people heading this way, and they don't seem friendly." Erza quickly climbed the ladder and got a good look for herself. She saw a huge swarm of people running right for the house. They were armed and didn't look happy.

"We are guarding this estate! Avoid any unnecessary fighting! That is your job!" She climbed back down the stairs when one of the guards asked what she was doing. She simply told him that she would be the last line of defense. Erza walked to the front door and waited. The watched as ladders lined the wall and the guards were holding them off as best as they could. Unfortunately, that wouldn't last. After a few minutes, more and more men made it over the wall and Erza knew that it was time to fight. "Kansou! Tenrin! Blumenbatt!" She flew into the sky and unleashed her array of swords right at the enemy. One by one, they dropped like flies. Not a single person was able to make it far past the wall.

When she looked at the walls, she saw the guards were starting to become overwhelmed. The crowd of intruders was gradually increasing and she had to change up her plan. Her body glowed and she vanished. In the blink of an eye, everyone climbing up the walls was cut down by her Flight Armor. After that, she ex-quiped into her Lightning Empress Armor and took down everyone else trying to get to the house.

Meanwhile, Lucy was watching the entire thing. Her eyes were huge and her mouth was wide open. She couldn't contain the excitement from watching the fight. However, her father insisted that she get away from the window, but she refused. She wanted to watch it till the very end. Something about Erza was so amusing to her. She didn't know much about Fairy Tail members, but seeing her gave her the impression that Fairy Tail was an amazing guild.

After a few minutes, the number of intruders fell and Erza returned to the front door. However, every tower was taken over. Most of them were wounded with only a few major casualties. She returned to her normal armor and looked around one more time. It was quiet and she assumed that everything was done. However, things were only getting starting. She saw a small line of smoke flying up to the sky and saw that it was coming from right behind the wall. After a few short seconds passed, the wall exploded and out from the explosion, another group of men came walking right at her.

"So it appears that the Heartfilia's hired some extra help. No fret, you don't pose a threat. All of these men were low-lives looking for some extra pay. The ones with me right now are the real deal so I'd suggest that you let us through so your pretty face doesn't get damaged." Erza stood her ground.

"I'm Erza Scarlet and I'm a mage of Fairy Tail. I will stay right here and you'll get to get passed me." The man chuckled and his henchmen handed him a huge device. He aimed it right at Erza and fired. The device exploded on contact and Lucy couldn't believe what was happening. A tear rolled down her face as she thought about the worst. However, when the dust subsided, the men saw a giant shield right in front of the door. From behind stood Erza, completely unharmed and ready to throw down some pain. A glow came from behind the shield and she emerged in her Black Wing Armor.

One by one, she cut down every single one of them. And with each hit, her attacking power increased only making it worse for the leader. The other men did everything they could, but nothing worked. After the huge crowd of intruders were defeated, she stood right in front of the leader without a scratch on her body. She ex-quiped back into her normal armor and the man was losing his cool. Sweat rolled down his face as he looked around to see all of his men on the ground without a breath left in their body.

"So what's your play now?" He was panicking. He looked around and picked a nearby sword on the ground.

"I'll… I'll defeat you and claim my award." She looked at him and saw that his legs were shaking and his teeth were clattering. She smiled and ex-quiped into something special just for him. His eyes widened as he saw a huge black thing standing right in front of him. Its eyes were red and smoke was protruding from its mouth and nose. It was her Purgatory Armor and she planned to end it here.

He gripped the sword as tight as he could and charged with everything he had left. He brought back his sword and Erza did the same thing. When their swords collided, Erza's sword completely shattered her enemies which took him by surprise. He looked at the sword in shock and when he looked back up, he saw the giant sword flying right at him. The sword hit him right in the gut and sent him flying back to the entrance gate. Slowly but surely, Erza walked towards him, still in her armor. She gripped him by the collar and pulled him up into the air.

"Never come back here again!" He screamed like a little girl. The voice was deep and menacing. Its eyes were getting even redder. He looked right at him and covered his eyes. She dropped him on the ground and he cowered away where she never saw him again. She ex-quiped back to normal and the two house members walked out into the lawn.

"That… That… was…. incredible!" Erza smiled.

"I hope you don't mind, but would you be willing to stay here for a little while longer. We feel safe with you here." He looked at Jude and then at Lucy.

"I'd be happy to."

Erza stayed there for about a week until her services were no longer needed. On her last day, she headed to the front door and tried to make her way outside when a hand grabbed hers. She turned around to see Lucy standing right there.

"Um, I never caught your name."

"I'm Erza, but just remember that Fairy Tail was here for your family." She opened the door and walked out. She waved her hand back and Lucy waved at her with a smile. She closed the door and pressed her back against the door.

"Someday, I'll fight alongside that amazing woman."

Erza was finally returning to the guild after such a long time and this time, she planned on staying for a bit. She was thinking about hanging out with everyone she used before she was an S-Class mage. As continued to think about, a smile emerged on her face. The good times were finally coming back to her. However, as she was walking, she was surrounded by a cloud of black smoke.

"What the hell?" She banged on the smoke, but nothing happened. She didn't know what was happening or where it was coming from. She screamed out for help, but the cloud was soundproof. As she banged on the cloud, it grew darker and darker until she couldn't see anything. After a few minutes, she found herself in a forest that she was unfamiliar with. She looked around and no one was around. "What the hell is going on?" She heard a branch snap and she pulled out one of her swords.

"Erza Scarlet, I've been watching you for a long time." From behind a tree came a small looking man with black hair and a black and white outfit.

"Who are you," she asked as she gripped her sword tighter.

"Don't worry about that. I brought you here to give you gift."

"I don't want you gift." She brought back her sword and swung right at his neck. However, the unthinkable happened. He grabbed the sword with his bare hands and her sword quickly turned into ash. She watched it disappear from her hand and was quickly stunned. What kind of magic was this?

"Is that the way you act when someone offers you a gift? Anyway, I've been watching you, for a long time. It appears that you've grown rather strong. Here is a gift from me to you. Hopefully, he can meet again in a different scenario." He handed her a small box and she cautiously took it from him. When she looked up, he vanished and the weirder thing was that she was standing in the middle of Magnolia. She looked around and was completely confused. She looked back down at the box. She opened it up and read its contents.

"Nakagami no Yoroi?"

End of The Queen's Armor

**Ending Note:** I hope you all enjoyed this arc. For me, it was really fun to write this one because I was able to be creative as I wanted. If you all don't mind, I kind of want to know which of the armor stories your favorite was. Personally, I enjoyed writing the Purgatory/Flight Armor story. Anyway, no new arcs are in the works right now so I hope you enjoy the little fillers I have planned for you guys. Thank you all so much for reading this story.


	32. Legends of the Sky Chapter 1

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 1

Natsu

**Note:** So I said that I would do a couple of fillers before another new arc, but went ahead a just decided to move it along. I'm not gonna say anything about this arc so I'll just let you guys figure out what this one's about. Also, I apologize for not posting on Tuesday. I used that day to get a head start on this arc so I hope you all enjoy. One last note, I'm returning home this weekend so don't expect any updates until late Sunday.

The hype of Fairy Tail's victory at the Grand Magic Games has finally cooled down and everyone's been busy. Natsu, compared to anyone else, was the busiest amongst the guild members. He occasionally went on jobs with the normal group, but this time, he decided to go solo with Happy.

He was lucky to get a mission that complimented his magic perfectly. A village was experiencing difficulties with a nearby mountain. However, the village didn't know that it was actually a volcano until it was too late. Thankfully, Natsu was in town when they realized it. He simply told them to get to high ground and stay as far away from the volcano as possible.

He and Happy flew to the volcano to predict its movements. The lava was slow, but extremely dangerous. They saw that the volcano was exploding at high rates which put the entire village in danger. They flew right to the top of the volcano and Natsu sucked up all the fire inside. After that, they flew back down to where the lava was slowly flowing towards the town.

"Happy, go ahead and drop me off right there."

"Aye sir!" Happy set him down near the end of the lava flow where he came up with the rest of his plan. He looked around him and saw that there wasn't much time left until it reached the village.

"Karyuu no Koen!" He smashed his attack into the ground right in front of him, creating a huge crater in the ground. By doing this, he was able to regain some of the time he needed execute the rest of this plan. The lava slowly flowed into the crater and he moved on. He bashed up some nearby trees and placed them along the lava flow. This caused the lava to follow a single path. This also caused the trees to light on fire. Natsu quickly sucked up the fire and shot out up into the sky.

He knew that eating too much fire wasn't good for him. And plus, there was an excess of fire in front of him so there was no worry about losing magic power.

After a few minutes, he looked back at the crater and saw that the crater was filling up pretty quickly. Thinking on his feet, he created another crater and redirected the lava flow into the other one. When he looked back at the volcano, things weren't getting any better. The thing was still spewing out lava without an end. This is where he didn't count on things working out the way they were. He constantly looked around and tried to make something pop up into his head, but nothing worked.

"Happy! Where are you?!" Out of nowhere, Happy came to him and picked him up off the ground. "There's only one thing I can do right now. That volcano is going out of control. Fly over to the other side of the volcano."

"What are you gonna do?"

"You'll find out." Together, the two of them flew to the other side of the mountain where Natsu saw that there was nothing on that side. He smirked to himself and told Happy to drop him.

"Eehhh?!"

"Just do it!"

"Aye sir." Right then and there, Happy let go of him and Natsu fell right for the side of the mountain. The wind was slapping his face as his speed was growing faster and faster. He redirected his body to the near top of the mountain. As he neared the top of the mountain, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Karyuu no TEKKEN!"

Boom! His fist met the mountain head-on and to everyone's surprise, his attack worked. His fist crumbled the top of the mountain and caused the entire side to be destroyed. Happy watched as the lava slowly started to flow the other way. He smiled and flew back down to Natsu.

"Natsu, you did it."

"I told you I'd do it. You don't trust?"

"Of course I do. It's just your strategies that worry me," he said under his breath. The two of them flew back to the village where everyone slowly started to regroup there. As they returned, everyone was cheering about how the disaster was averted, thanks to Natsu. He wasn't much of a person to accept thanks and gratification so he thanked them back for having him with them and left town on good terms.

As he left town, he looked back once more to see everyone waving goodbye to him. He gave them a smile, one more wave, and left. All throughout their walk, Happy kept talking about how daring and surprising that was of Natsu to do something like that. Natsu didn't really say much, on the other hand. He mostly kept quiet.

Out of nowhere, he stopped dead in his tracks. Happy asked if he was alright, but he wasn't unable to give him an answer. In his head, he heard a familiar voice. At first, it was speaking in some weird language, but after it started to repeat itself, Natsu finally figured out what it was saying.

"Go to the mountains." He turned around and looked at the huge mountain range that was in the distance. He immediately readied his things and walked towards the mountains.

"Natsu, what are you doing? I thought we were heading back to the guild."

Again, he didn't answer Happy. This was something that he needed to do. For some reason, that voice reminded him on Igneel. In fact, that voice probably was Igneel. It didn't say much, but Natsu had a hunch that this was important. He continued to walk to and through the mountains, following everything the voice in his head was telling him to do.

End of Chapter 1


	33. LS Chapter 2

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 2

Wendy

Wendy was another person who was anxious to get back to the job world. For her first job, she decided to do things on her own. As much as she wanted to be with the normal group, she thought it would be better for her to start off on her own. The mission she grabbed was for her to assist a group of sailboats get through a major storm in the ocean. She was one of the first members of the guild to leave for a job and she was excited.

Wendy and Carla had a great time getting to their destination. They talked all about the Grand Magic Games and how they were so happy about the results of the event. Carla also mentioned how proud she was about what Wendy was able to do against the dragons. Even though none of them were able to defeat a dragon, all of their efforts did not go unnoticed. Wendy especially showed great courage against a worthy opponent.

But now that those things were over, they were ready to calm things down a bit. When they arrived at the port, she met a huge crowd of men and women waiting for something to happen. They slowly turned to see a small girl with a piece of paper in hand.

"Excuse me, but are you the one who accepted our request?"

"Yes. I'm Wendy Marvell of Fairy Tail and I'm here to help you sailors out." Immediately, everyone went nuts. They didn't care about how or why she was helping them; it was just about them gaining help from an outside party.

"Alright everyone, you heard the lady! We're getting through this storm without a problem!"

"Hhhaaaaa!" Everyone pumped their fists into the air and readied for the trip. They packed their boats with everything they were bringing and everyone else who was willing to withstand such a horrible feat.

Once everyone was ready, they set sail. Wendy took the skies and readied herself for anything. She looked into the distance and saw a huge wall of black clouds. That was what they were talking about and she knew that this was going to be quite difficult. She flew ahead them and tried to rid the skies of the huge storm clouds, but it didn't prove to be too effective. As she cleared up some of the clouds, the heavy rain started to hit her hard and she was forced to fall back.

"What's it look like up there?!"

"Not good! We're definitely gonna hit a strong storm!"

"Don't worry about us! My crew and I are ready to handle anything. You give us your back and we'll get through this together!" They nodded heads and entered the storm head-on.

Immediately, the rain poured down on them and the temperature suddenly dropped. Everyone on the boats was getting battered by the huge raindrops and massive waves hitting the boats. From above, Wendy got an overall view of the entire situation, making sure that each of the 5 ships was making equal progress.

The further they got into the storm, the worse the storm got. The waves grew bigger and bigger and crashed into the boats with such force. By now, the crewmates were completely drenched, but they continued to fight through.

"Come on men! Don't give up now! We are getting through this!" She looked at the 5 ships and saw the waves were slowing down their progress. She and Carla flew low to the water and started their assistance.

"Tenryuu no Yokugeki!" Incredibly, she cut the huge waves up and flattened out the water. "Tenryuu no Houko!" Her breath gave them a huge push and they started to make great progress. They looked up and cheered her name. Her wing attack managed to calm the storm for a few minutes, giving them the opportunity to get further through the storm.

After a few minutes, the storm picked up its intensity and the ships returned to being thrashed. Even up in the sky, Wendy was getting hit pretty hard. However, the two of them continued to fight through and made sure the sailors got through this without any casualties. The two of them stayed above them and made sure nothing huge hit the boats.

However, when they looked down, they saw the sailors having a hard time. As the waves continued to thrash the ships, the sailors were being thrown back and forth on the deck. When a huge wave hit one of the ships, a couple of the sailors fell overboard. Wendy and Carla quickly flew down to them and grabbed them out of the water. This was now the concern. The storm was getting worse and worse to the point where the decks of the ships were becoming too slippery to maintain their stance. One by one, she grabbed everyone out of the water and returned them to safety.

Wendy turned her head franticly. The waves were huge, the temperature was nearing freezing, and everyone was struggling to fight. Even Carla was having a hard time keeping her flight intact.

"Come on, we're almost through! We can do this!"

"Hhhhaaaaaaa!" Everyone was still fighting which gave her motivation to do the same. She slowly started to spin her arms in a counter-clockwise motion.

"Metsuryu Ougi! Shouha Tenkusen!" A huge blast of wind was created in her arms and was sent into the dark clouds. The sailors from below watched a bright light fly into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. After a few minutes, there was a loud thud that echoed through the skies. Right after that, the storm suddenly stopped. The waters calmed and everything went silent. It worked. A smile emerged from her face as she pumped her fists.

"Wendy, did you do that?"

"Yeah, I think we're in the clear." Everyone looked into the horizon and saw that the black clouds slowly rolled out of sight. As time passed, they saw a town on the horizon. Everyone sharpened their eyes and knew that that was their location.

"There she blows! Port town is just in sight! Man the sails! All ahead full!" Wendy smiled again and pushed them towards the port with her breath. When everything docked, she finally returned to the ground where the captain and another sailor hoisted her up on their shoulders and cheered her name. "Thank you Wendy. You allowed us to get through that horrible storm."

"Oh, no problem. You guys did it all. I just helped out a little."

"Don't be ridiculous. You were the star of this quest. Let's hear it for Wendy!"

"Wendy! Wendy! Wendy!" Carla watched Wendy shine to these people and couldn't help smile. She was definitely growing up and she was glad to be there for her. After a few minutes, they put her down and covered her eyes with a handkerchief. When they uncovered her eyes, they presented her with a huge chest of jewels and other priceless things.

"Um, thank you, but I can't accept this."

"What are you talking about? We want you to have this." Wendy was panicking. She didn't know how to handle the situation. She wanted to, but she didn't want to. "Please accept our offer."

"Alright, but I don't know how I'm going to take this back to my guild."

"Haha, don't worry about that. We've heard that your guild is located in Magnolia and we're heading there right after this so we'll deliver it to you then."

"Okay, thank you." Out of nowhere, the captain knelt down in front of her. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"No, thank you Ms. Wendy." She blushed. This kind of thing never happened to her and it kind of felt good. He slowly stood up and hugged her once last time. His huge body made it comfortable to hug him back. After that, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

From where she was, there was no easy way of getting back to the guild with ease so she decided to take a scenic walk back. However, as she did, something caught her attention. A voice popped up in her head and she stopped dead in her tracks with her eyes wide open. Carla saw this and asked if she was alright. Unfortunately, she was unable to answer her. She was too busy concentrating on the voice in her head.

"Wendy, head to the mountains. You must follow this command."

"Grandine, is that you?"

"Go to the mountains." She looked up and saw a huge mountain range in the far distance. She took a step forward and something told her that this was the right thing to do."

"Wendy? Are you okay?" She still didn't answer. She just continued to walk towards the mountains with a determined face.

End of Chapter 2


	34. LS Chapter 3

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 3

Gajeel

After the Grand Magic Games was over, Gajeel and Lily decided to take a different approach to things. They didn't go a job. They simply sat around the guild for a few days. As everyone was crowding the request board, he and Lily sat at the tables and enjoyed the atmosphere of the guild building. Even Makarov walked up to him and asked him what was up. He told him about their plan and he approved. The two of them were always busy so it was nice seeing them hang around the guild building.

He looked around and saw that everyone had huge smile on their faces. He looked back and saw the GMG trophy sitting on the stage and gave a little chuckle. Things were definitely getting good around here.

After a couple of days, he came into the guild and saw Levy sitting alone. He looked around the guild and noticed that Jet and Droy weren't around which was quite the shock. He slowly walked over to her table and sat down quietly next to her.

"Hey short stuff." She didn't respond. He turned his head and saw that her face was as blank as could. "What? Did I say something weird?"

"Nothing." She slammed her head onto the table and remained silent.

"Come on, don't be like that. If it's something I said, tell me." Her head slowly rose with that same face. She opened her mouth, but was immediately cut off by Lily. He barged through the door in his battle form.

"Let's go Gajeel. I found another waterfall we can train at. Let's go!" He grabbed Gajeel's hand and tried to pull him. Gajeel was able to hold his ground and speak to Levy one last time.

"Hey, would you like to join us? Jet and Droy aren't here so you must be bored by yourself." He stuck out his hand and she stared at it for a few seconds. After that, she grabbed his hand and the three of them headed to Lily's new location.

When they got there, Gajeel and Levy saw the waterfall and was quickly surprised. The waterfall was huge and beautiful. It fell from a high place and crashed on a huge pile of rocks. The rocks right below the water were flat which provided a place for them to sit. Gajeel quickly took off his shirt and walked towards the rock. Luckily, Levy had a spare swimsuit ready, but when she turned to face Gajeel, she nearly lost consciousness. He was well built and really big. She slowly walked over next to him and sat down underneath the waterfall.

Under the waterfall, things were so calming. They all sat cross-legged with their eyes closed. No words were said and barely anything was thought. Gajeel was the most calm amongst the three of them. He had his eyes closed and he took slow deep breaths as his body was cleansed by the huge waterfall.

On the other hand, Levy was having a hard time. The water was nice and cool, but the loud sounds of crashing water made it hard to concentrate. She occasionally looked over at him and saw that he was completely calm. He was taking in every bit of where he was and didn't project himself outwards. This was something that Levy was jealous. He was able to hold his own in nearly any situation which made her idolize him more.

"Hey Gajeel…"

"Sshhh! Just stay quiet and listen." He continued to stay underneath the fall with nothing. She turned and faced the other direction. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and stood up. "Alright, what did you want to tell me?"

"It's nothing. Just forget about it." He looked down at her and she looked a little down. He walked in front of her knelt down.

"If it's something important, I want you to tell me." She slowly turned her head and looked him straight in the eye.

"Alright fine. It's really stupid actually, if you think about it. I wanted to tell you that…" She was suddenly cut off. Gajeel opened his eyes wide and returned to his feet. Something came to his mind which immediately caught his attention. Levy saw this and stopped her train of thought. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to share what she wanted so she stood up and asked him if he was alright. However, he was unable to respond.

"Gajeel, go to the mountains. There's something there that you must see."

He couldn't believe it. That voice; it sounded like Metalicana. Was it actually his voice or was it just a child's fantasy? He looked up and saw a huge mountain range overlooking everything else. That was the place the voice was talking about, but he was a little wary about following its strange order. However, it didn't take him long to make up his mind. He grabbed his clothes and Lily followed behind him.

"Gajeel, where are you going?" The sound of her voice managed to stop him before he vanished. He turned around slowly and walked back to her. He grabbed her hand and smiled.

"You need to return to the guild. I'm sorry about this, but I think it's the best thing for you to do right now. I promise I'll hear you out when I return." He kissed her hand and walked off with Lily.

The two of them trudged through the mysterious terrain without a single thought in mind. They didn't know what they were getting themselves into or what was to come. Gajeel simply followed the directions from the voice in his head and didn't ask a single question. He knew this was something important and he wasn't going to pass this up. He knew this was something that could bring him closer to finding out the truth of the Metalicana and the other dragons' disappearance.

End of Chapter 3


	35. LS Chapter 4

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 4

Four Dragons

The Raijinshuu were off another job. This time, it catered to Laxus' strength. A town lost its lightning rod and he replaced it for them. The town they were in was known for its crazy lightning storms, but for Laxus, this was a synch. He stood atop the tallest building and stuck his arm up whenever he sensed a lightning strike coming. He occasionally had to move around since he wasn't made of metal, but most times, he made the lightning come to him.

The night was a long one, but the four of them managed to get through it with ease. Even though the other three didn't do much, everyone in town thanked them for their support. Out of nowhere, the townspeople invited them to a huge dinner that celebrated their success. Laxus wasn't normally accepting towards these kind of things, but he decided to do it anyway.

They held the dinner in the grand hall and nearly everyone was there. One long table was situated right in the middle of the room and the four of them were placed in the very middle of the table. After a few minutes, everyone else took their seats when the mayor marched into the room.

"Welcome, members of Fairy Tail, to this very special dinner. Without you four here, this town definitely would have taken a beating so we thank you for that. We would also like to thank you for winning the Grand Magic Games. Ever since the beginning, this town has been a fan of the Grand Magic Games and when we heard that a Fairy Tail guild entered, we just had to watch. Your performance, this year, was unlike anything we've ever seen. You truly deserve the title of 'Strongest in Fiore.'" The mayor tipped his cup at them and everyone acknowledged them as well.

After a few minutes, the food started to come in from all different directions. The other three were completely psyched about this, but Laxus was his usual self. He didn't show much emotion, but was truly grateful for what this town was doing for them.

Once all of the food was placed on the table, everyone dug in. however, Laxus wasn't very hungry. He tried his best to eat, but something inside of him was saying no. he looked around the room and saw that everyone was having a good time. Even his teammates couldn't be pulled from the moment. He gave a little chuckle as he crossed his arms.

Suddenly, a thud came from his head. He bent over and put his hands on his head. What was this pain? Another thud came and he tried his best not to make a scene out of it.

"Laxus, go to the mountains." Gramps, how are you contacting me? "Go to the mountains." He stood up and excused himself from the meal. He walked outside, still with his hands on his head, trying to relieve himself of this intense pain. "Go to the mountains." He gritted his teeth and finally looked up.

When he did, he saw a huge mountain range in the distance. Also, the pain in his head suddenly disappeared. Why are you asking this of me, gramps? Another thud hit his head and he dropped to his knees. If this is what you want, I'll go. He slowly rose to his feet and started to walk towards the mountains when his teammates walked out to him.

"Laxus, is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine. There's something I have to do right now."

"Alright, then the Raijinshuu will follow you."

"No, not this time. This is something I have to do by myself."

"But Laxus…"

"Be understanding, if I wanted you to come, I would have told you. I'll see you guys later." With that, he started his trip to the far mountain range with the pain in his head still present.

As he walked, the voice in his head kept telling him where to go. The voice was definitely Makarov's, but the real question was why. Why was he contacting him and why did he want him to go to the mountains? I've never even seen this mountains before. Something has to be going down.

The further he walked into the mountains, the more the pain started to disappear. When he reached the end of the trail, the pain was gone. He looked around, but no one was around. The fog in the area was really thick so it made things difficult to track where he was. After a few minutes, he heard a familiar noise. It was the sound of sniffing, coming from a familiar noise. A few seconds went by and someone broke through the thick fog.

"Hey Laxus, what are you doing here?"

"Laxus-san is here too?"

"Hm, this is getting kind of weird."

"Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel; you're all here? Why?"

"We don't know. Something just told us to come here."

"Hm, interesting. Hey Wendy, would you mind clearing up this fog?"

"Of course." With the wave of her hand, she blew the thick fog away. When they got a clear understanding of their surroundings, another figure started to rise from below the trail. They couldn't really make out who it was at the time, but they definitely knew that there was more than one person walking towards them.

End of Chapter 4


	36. LS Chapter 5

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 5

Sting and Rogue

When Sabertooth got back from the Grand Magic Games, everyone was all beat up. They lost their 1st place spot as a guild so things were a little boring for everyone. However, Sting and Rogue were on the complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Being able to fight with Natsu and the others really made them realize what they've been missing all of this time as a guild.

"Attention everyone!" Sting stood up in the middle of the guild building, but no one recognized him. "Hey, everyone listen up!" His sharp voice echoed through the place until everyone finally looked up. "Alright, I know that we lost the games and other things happened, but this is better for us. We get to start from scratch. We finally get to realize who we are as a guild. If anyone else is willing to stand with me, I promise to bring this guild further than where we left it. Someday, we'll beat Fairy Tail, but for now, let's work hard and not fall behind."

"Hhhaaaaa!" Everyone pumped their fists in the air and ran to the request board, picking up anything they could. It took them awhile, but Sting and Rogue finally found something that fit their likings. With everyone out on a job, the guild building was nearly empty except for a few remaining stragglers.

Sting and Rogue headed out to their first job as a "new guild." They had smiles on their faces and optimism in their heads as they walked along the path of new beginnings. However, right as they left town, something flooded into their heads. It was a familiar voice with very specific instructions.

"Sting. Rogue. Go to the mountains."

"Weisslogia?"

"Skiadrum?"

"Go to the mountains." They both looked up and saw a huge mountain range sitting right in front of them. They then looked at each other and decided to go along with this. Frosch and Lector were with them at the time, but barely even noticed this little sliver of strange behavior.

When they reached the mountain range, they were forced to traverse the treacherous landscape. Step by step, they stayed calm and longed to see what was inside of those mountains. However, a small thought came to both of their minds. They were wondering if this was going to be worth it. They've never even seen these mountains before, and to them, it seemed like the trail would go on forever.

The further they got in the mountains, the more fog stood in their paths. The visibility was pushed to the bare minimum. They tried to stay within arm's length of each other as to not get lost. However, after a minutes, it seemed as if they were going around in circles. Sting, Rogue, and Lector were trying their best to map out the places they've already been to, but it was no use. Frosch, on the other hand, was enjoying his time in the mountains even though the hike was pretty tiring.

"Ah, let's face it Rogue, we're lost."

"Are you sure you still want to go through this mountain range?"

"Of course. You heard it too. There's no reason for us not to. There could easily be something up here that we've been wanting to know for so long."

"Alright then, let's get moving." Rogue hoisted Frosch on his shoulder and continued to walk on. This time, the four of them had more of a strategy this time. They kept on going straight no matter what stood in their way. After a few minutes, they started to notice that the fog was clearing up as they reached a large hill. They looked up and saw that it was all clear up there so they decided to go with that. Once they made it to the top, they were immediately surprised.

"Natsu-san, what are you guys doing here?" Sting ran at Natsu and they fist bumped.

"So you two got the message as well."

"What message are you talking about?"

"The one that said to go to the mountains."

"That was a message?"

"I don't really know. All we know is that everyone who's hear is a Dragon Slayer."

"So what does that mean for us?"

"We don't know. We've all just been sitting here, waiting for something to happen."

"Maybe something'll happen now that everyone's here."

"Maybe this is about the dragon brawl we had."

"Maybe."

The six of them crowded around in a circle and continued to ponder this mysterious act of randomness. Why were they all here? Why were they only Dragon Slayers? Was this about the Grand Magic Games, or is it something more than that?

End of Chapter 5

**Ending Note: **I sincerely apologize for the lengths of these chapters. I used these to set up the rest of the arc. But I promise that they will return to normal after this one. If you haven't realized by now, these chapters were kind of like a prologue. Now, things will slowly start to get interesting. I promise. Thank you for everyone who is still reading this story. You're the best.


	37. LS Chapter 6

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 6

The Meeting

**Note: **As a gift from me to you guys, here's an extra chapter to make up for the short ones. As promised, the remainder of the arc will return to normal. No more short chapters. We will finally be getting into the thick of this arc so I hope you're all ready for some awesomeness. I hope you all enjoy.

"So how long have you guys been here?"

"Not too long. Maybe for like an hour. I was the first one. Then it was Wendy, Gajeel, Laxus, and then you two."

"Hm, I see. No one else came with you guys?"

"Nope, it was just us. I'm still kind of confused about all of this."

"Don't worry Wendy, I think we're all on the same boat."

"So what should we do now?"

"I don't know about you guys, but I am waiting this one out. Igneel told me to come here and that's what I did. Now, all that's left to do is wait." Everyone else was kind of shocked at that comment because something similar happened to each one of them. A voice in their head told them to come here and it was from someone significant in their lives. "What about you, Laxus?"

"You know, this whole thing seems pretty interesting so I think I'll wait it out as well." Everyone else nodded and took a seat somewhere comfortable. As they did, everyone retreated to their thoughts. On the outside, no words were spoken. Everyone was too busy dealing with internal conflicts that they made absolutely no sense.

If all of us are Dragon Slayers, then that must mean something important is about to happen to us. Why else would we all be summoned here unless if it was for that reason? We're gonna meet our dragons. That's the only thing that this could possibly be about. It has to be about that. Out of nowhere, a simultaneous sigh came from everyone as they looked up into the sky.

On the other hand, Laxus was kind of bummed out. As he thought to himself, he was the only one who wasn't raised by a dragon so he thought about why he was even there. He knew he was dragon slayer, but if this is all about meeting their dragons, it didn't interest him. He continued to think to himself when Wendy walked up to him.

"Laxus-san, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm totally fine. How are you?"

"I'm okay. Do you really believe it: Us getting to meet our dragons?"

"I don't know. There's always that possibility. Be sure not to count anything out." She nodded her head with smile on her face.

"I hope that doesn't depress you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're a second generation Dragon Slayer so you don't have one. You don't have a parent." Laxus' eyes widened. For some reason, that comment got him right in the heart. He knew that she was teasing him. Wendy was always the genuine kind of person so she was definitely doing this for a reason.

"Yeah, that's true, but everything I need is in here. Even though I wasn't raised by those magnificent beasts, I still have the heart of one, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Anyway, you and Natsu are special. You hold your relationship with your dragon close to your heart so it'll make things that much easier to reunite with them." He rubbed her on the head.

"Thank you Laxus-san."

"No problem. It's always nice talking with you," he said with a smile. As Wendy looked at Laxus, she realized that this was her first actual conversation she's ever had with him. Usually, he's always away or with the other members of the Raijinshuu. But this small moment she had with him made her feel much better. She sat down next to him and waited for something to finally happen to them.

"Oi, Natsu-san, let's go at it."

"What? You wanna fight?"

"Hell yeah, we've got the time. Let's do this."

"Alright, I'm all fired up." In the blink of an eye, Natsu's body was engulfed in flames as Sting's eyes glowed red. Even though this wasn't serious, Natsu's flames were more intense than when he fought him at the GMGs. Sting responded in kind. His body glowed white as he activated Dragon Force. As they two of them stood there in their element, everyone else was watching them as they all rolled their eyes. They knew this was going to happen. It was all just a matter of time.

After a few minutes, Sting was the first one to charge. Once he saw this, Natsu attacked as well. When the two of them met fists, a huge explosion came from the middle of it. However, everyone else wasn't fazed by it. They just closed their eyes and did whatever they were doing. Swing after swing, punch after punch; the two of them weren't gaining any ground, as a good fight should be. Each of them got a couple of good blows, but nothing serious enough to send the other person to the ground.

"Karyuu no Houko!" His breath attack shot right at Sting, but he was quick enough to jump in the air and avoid the fire.

"Hakuryuu no Holy Breath!" Natsu snickered to himself.

"Ain't gonna work this time." The huge breath attack shot right for the ground. However, Natsu emerged out from within it. His body was engulfed in flames as his body was coming right for Sting.

"Karyuu no Kenkaku!"

"Aaaahhhhh!" It worked. The first serious blow in this entire fight belonged to Natsu. When the two of them returned to the ground, Natsu was standing straight up, but Sting was a little flustered. He gripped his stomach for that attack a lot more force than he first anticipated. He hunched over, but had a smile on his face.

"You never disappoint, Natsu-san. I give this one to you." Sting fell back onto his back, completely in shock. That attack was nowhere near the strength of his Secret Dragon Slayer Art, but something about made him feel weaker. Natsu walked over to him and stuck out his hand.

"That was still a good fight."

"Ah, it certainly was." Sting reached up for his hand was brought back up onto his feet. "Good fight, my friend." They shook hands and went off to rest. Meanwhile, Gajeel and Rogue were doing their own thing.

"You know what happened right?"

"Not really. What happened?"

"It was you future self, trying to control the dragons that would eventually rule the world in the future."

"Seriously, and is that what happened when we fought each other?"

"Sort of. That was more of just a preview to what was to come. That was nowhere near as bad as the guy Natsu dealt with. You in your real form was a lot more dangerous."

"So, if I were to follow that path, I would have had to kill…"

"Ah, that's how it goes."

"I see. Well, then there's no other choice, but to change that."

"There you go," he said as he slapped his back. As the two of them continued to talk, Gajeel noticed that everyone was in pairs. Natsu was with Sting, Wendy was with Laxus, and he was with Rogue. He didn't really know why he noticed this, but it just caught his attention. Once he got over that, he resumed his conversation with Rogue.

After a few minutes, things started to seem bizarre. The air was calm and everything seemed to stop. Wendy was the first one to take notice of these changes. She stood up slowly and looked around with a lot of concern.

"Wendy, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. Something just seems off."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Laxus stood up and looked around. Nothing caught his attention, but after he looked around for a bit, he started to notice the changes. The birds stopped flying above them and the sounds that were once there, no longer existed.

"What the heck? Natsu, do you smell anything?!" Natsu quickly rose onto his feet and sniffed the air.

"Yeah, what is that?"

"Yeah, I smell it too," Gajeel said as he rose to his feet. The six of them got on their guard and searched the entire palace for some sign. After a few minutes, the ground started to shake. "What is that?"

"It's Igneel. It has to be."

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself. There are more things out there that can be doing this." The ground shook even more as the six of them were forced to come together and hold their ground. They continued to look around, but nothing was revealing itself. They all gritted their teeth and clenched their fists. Something was coming and they had to be ready for whatever it was.

Boom! They all turned their heads and saw a huge hole emerge from the ground a few feet away from them. They all slowly walked towards it and tried to see if there was anything in it. Unfortunately, it was pitch black so it appeared as if nothing was down there. However, the ground stopped shaking right as that hole was made.

"That smell. I know that smell. It's." Out of nowhere, water came spewing out of the hole and the six of them fell back to their original spot.

"What the heck is water doing all the way up here?" Everyone was silent, except for Natsu. His fist turned into flames for he knew who it was. As the six of them watched the water dance, it started to take form. Next, Wendy started to realize who it was and then Gajeel. After a few more seconds, it finally took full form.

"Umiko." He opened his eyes and smiled.

"Natsu, it's been too long. I hope you haven't missed me."

"Shut up!" He jumped right at him with his fists ready.

"Natsu-san, wait!" All of a sudden, a huge wall of red mist came into between them which forced Natsu to jump back. He returned to the ground and looked back up at Umiko. The mist finally subsided and that smirk was still on his face.

"You didn't really think I would come alone did you?" Everyone turned their heads and saw someone else walking towards them.

"Natsu, you're so foolish. I could hear you attacks from the other side of the world." Everyone widened their eyes.

"Cobra, you're here too? I thought you'd be back in prison."

"Haha! That was all just a rouse to get them to let me out. Now that I'm out, I'm never going back."

"Not when we're here. Your time is over. Prepare to be defeated again." The six of them lowered their bodies and prepared to pounce. "Let's get 'em!" They all started to run at them when something else stopped them before they could. They skies turned black and everything around them was starting to get less visible. "What the hell's going on now?" They looked around and saw that pitch blackness was starting to surround them.

"Rairyuu no Houko!" Laxus shot lightning straight up and the black blanket suddenly vanished. However, when they looked back at the other two guys. They saw someone else standing there with them. They were wearing all black with a hood over their head.

"Who's that?"

"I don't know." The mysterious person slowly reached up to its hood and pulled it off. Natsu and Wendy were both surprised to see who this person truly was.

End of Chapter 6


	38. LS Chapter 7

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 7

The 9th Dragon Slayer

"Who's that?"

"She's the one from that book. Wendy, she's the last unnamed Dragon Slayer." Everyone else was completely in shock. They couldn't believe that there was another Dragon Slayer. All together, they made up 9 Dragon Slayers in one place at the same time.

"Who are you, dammit?! You're just getting in our way."

"Haha," she chuckled softly to herself, "you call yourselves Dragon Slayers. Don't make me laugh." Gajeel gritted his teeth and charged her right off the bat.

"You're no Dragon Slayer. There are only 8 of us." He yelled as he neared her with his fists. She smiled when suddenly, everything around him turned pitch black. "Damn it, I can't see a damn thing. Where are you?! Show yourself!" Suddenly, an echoed laugh broke through the silence.

"It appears that you can't see anything." Out of nowhere, he was punched in the stomach and across the face. "Fortunately for me, this is where I belong." He got punched two more across the face and then one right in the nose which sent him flying back into reality."

"What the hell just happened," he asked as he tried to return to his feet.

"We need to be smart about Gajeel. Wendy and I read something about her in that book when we defeated Umiko. You are the person, aren't you?" He directed his question right at her which made her unable to avoid.

"You are correct, Dragon Slayer. I am the 9th, unnamed Dragon Slayer." Everyone was confused. Wendy and Natsu tried to remember what was in the book, but nothing was able to come to their heads. "If you desperately want to know about me, I shall tell you. My name is Michiko and I am the Black Dragon Slayer."

"Black?" Sting was shocked. Although he was the White Dragon Slayer, he had no idea that a black existed.

"Right as a child, I was deemed too powerful to live. Everyone did what they could to try and kill me, but nothing worked. I laid waste onto everyone who dared defy me. Now, you six will face the wrath of my true power." Natsu was pissed. Despite his anger though, he examined the situation. It was 6 against 3. He didn't want to seem cocky, but their chances of winning were pretty high.

"Wait, if you're a Dragon Slayer, what generation are you?" She didn't answer at first. All she did was chuckle to herself. "Because Cobra's a second generation and Umiko is a first generation. So what does that make you?"

"The zero generation Dragon Slayer," she said with a smile. "If you idiots haven't caught on by now, I'm a creation of Zeref. A weapon used to kill Dragon Slayers." Everyone's faces nearly turned white. "Nothing can defeat me." All of a sudden, huge black pillars shot out of the ground and into the sky. "Now, Dragon Slayers, feel the wrath of dark magic!" She pointed her arms at the group and her magic aimed right at them from all different angles.

Thinking on their feet, they rolled out of the way and regained their stances. They looked at each other and knew that it was time to get serious. Natsu and Wendy started to charge at Umiko. When they came within arm's length, they swung at his head, but he turned into water and evaded their attack. At first, it was hard to follow where he was going, but when they finally tracked him down, it was already too late. To pillars of rock-hard water hit them right in the face which sent them flying in opposite directions.

Meanwhile, Sting and Rogue decided to take on Cobra. The two of them were quick, but Cobra was too smart for them. They swung and he dodged, they kicked and he jumped. Once they left an opening, he managed to hit them hard with his fists. To make things interesting, he didn't start out with a lethal attack, but one that would make them think twice about their strategy.

All that was left was Gajeel and Laxus. The two of them headed for Michiko. Gajeel used his pole attack, but it went right through her body as if she was made of air. Laxus followed with an electric punch, but his attack quickly faded away as he whiffed her body. They both jumped back in confusion. How were they going to win this fight? So far, nothing seemed to be working. They looked at the other two groups and saw that they were also having a hard time. Gajeel gritted his teeth and started to charge when he heard Natsu's voice break through the fighting.

"Happy, take me up!" There was no response. "Happy, where are you?" Gajeel turned his head to see Natsu searching for Happy. When he turned back to face Michiko, something appeared in front of him that he wasn't expecting.

"Looking for your cat?" It was Lily. Gajeel immediately changed course and dove out of the way of him. However, when he changed paths, he rolled right into Michiko's trap. It was a black hole that swallowed him up whole.

"Gajeel!" After a few seconds, another black hole appeared right above Laxus and out came Gajeel, completely battered to shreds.

"You bastard," he said as he struggled to regain his strength and stance.

"Natsu!" Natsu turned his head to see Happy in the air. However, it wasn't what he was hoping for. His body was tied with something black. Around him were the other Exceeds.

"Happy!"

"Hold it right there, Dragon Slayer." He looked down and saw them under Michiko's control. All 5 of the Exceeds were tied up with nothing they could do. Then suddenly, their bodies started to fade until they finally disappeared.

"Happy! You bastard, what have you done with them?"

"Oh, don't worry about them. They're safe and sound in my little world. If you want them, you'll have to defeat us. But I wouldn't count on that impossible outcome."

"How do you wanna do this?!"

"Huh?"

"One-on-one? That works for me. Name the game." Michiko looked at Natsu and his eyes were aimed right at her. His fists were clenched as his body was still a little ignited with fire.

"You know, you intrigue me the most. I'll definitely have fun with you."

"You think you can take our friends like that? You think this is a fair fight? No way in hell are we gonna lose to you bastards!" The six of them stood shoulder and stared down their enemies. There were 6 of them and only 3 of their enemies. They had momentum on their side. They had something to fight for. Meanwhile, Cobra and Umiko walked next to Michiko and stood by her side with straight faces.

"I guess this is how we settle things. Us versus you. Only the winner will walk away with their lives." Michiko closed her eyes and waited for the response she was waiting for, but when she reopened them, nothing happened. They stood there ready to go and with nothing left to say. It was time to fight. "Haha, are you two ready?" They nodded their heads. "Well then, let us begin!"

Out of nowhere, everyone single one of them was engulfed in Michiko's magic. The black magic surrounded them until they couldn't see anymore. They pounded and screamed, nothing worked. Something was going down and they were definitely not ready for it. As they were trapped inside the black magic, their bodies were thrown around without end. It seemed as if they were in an endless freefall in pitch blackness. They had no idea where they were or if they were going somewhere, but they did know that they had to stop these guys once and for all.

After a few minutes, they started to see a small light right below them. As they continued to fall, the light got bigger and brighter until their eyes couldn't take it anymore. When they reopened them, things only seemed to get weirder.

…

Gajeel looked up and finally started to see where he was. The environment was all rocky with huge rocky pillars everywhere. Things were silent as he rose to his feet.

"Michiko, where are you?!" Out from behind a pillar, Rogue walked out to rendezvous with him. "Rogue, where are we?"

"I don't know. I've never seen this place before."

"Hey, everyone else, where are you guys?!" There was no response, not even the sound of bugs walking the ground could be heard. The two of them continued to look around, trying to find something that would give away where they were.

"We should keep moving." Rogue tried to take a step forward, but was immediately stopped by Gajeel's arm. His nose winked and his eyes sharpened.

"We're not alone." They looked up into the sky and saw someone standing on top of one of those rocky pillars.

"I knew I heard someone else, but you two will do." Cobra looked down on them with a huge smile.

…

Wendy lifted her head off the ground, but the light was still too bright. She threw her arm over her eyes and tried to make out where she was. As her eyes finally adjusted, things started to look very familiar. She was on a beach. However, this beach looked familiar. She heard a rustle coming from her feet and she looked down to see Laxus right next to her. He slowly got on his feet and stood next to her.

"Wendy, where are we?"

"I don't know, but this place seems oddly familiar."

"How so?"

"Almost like I've been here before. Almost as if…" Something suddenly came to her mind. "Almost as if Natsu and I fought here." All of a sudden, the sun fell from the sky and the moon took over.

"What the heck is going on?" Laxus looked up at the sky and saw the night sky glow over the beach. On the other hand, Wendy looked out to the ocean and saw something stirring up in the distance. The water started to swirl as something emerged from the ocean. It took form and Wendy gasped in shock.

"I finally get to take revenge for what you did to me and my plans."

"No, this can't be."

"Prepare to face your greatest enemy."

…

Natsu opened his eyes to see himself in a weird place. Everything looked all goofy with nothing that looked really real. The atmosphere was purple with black figures floating all around the place. As he continued to look around, he heard someone's voice right next to him. It was Sting. At first, he was wondering why he was with Sting. He kind of wanted to be with Wendy because now that he knows the situation, she might be facing him right now. However, his real question now was: Who are the bound to fight?

"Natsu-san, you see anything?"

"My eyes aren't the best and my nose isn't picking anything up either. What about you?"

"Nothing. Looks like we got the short end of the straw."

"Hahaha!" That sudden laugh echoed everywhere which forced them to go on their toes. They clenched their fists and stood back-to-back.

"Be ready for anything." Sting nodded his head as the two of them looked around until their enemy was finally revealed. "Michiko." Natsu's body suddenly lit on fire.

"You are correct, Dragon Slayer. Now, it's time to show you the real power of a Dragon Slayer." Sting's body glowed white as he activated Dragon Force.

"You're gonna regret ever fighting us."

"Hm, we'll see about that."

End of Chapter 7


	39. LS Chapter 8

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 8

Battle against Cobra

**Note: **Alright, so I hope you're all ready for some action. I do want to say this in advance though. Please try to bear with me. The action may seem kind of odd/confusing/short. I'm trying my very best to make action better so I hope that the rest of this arc will satisfy you die-hard anime fans. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.

Cobra had a smile on his face as he jumped from the pillar. He shoved his hands into the pillar to slow down his descent. When he reached the ground, the pillar from behind collapsed and caused dust to be shot in all directions. Gajeel and Rogue covered their eyes until the dust finally subsided.

"I did want to fight Natsu since I do have a score to settle with him, but you two will do for now." They crouched and readied themselves to fight. "I can hear you." Gajeel took a step forward, but was immediately punched across the face by Cobra.

"Gajeel?!"

"Don't lay your guard down, kid." He appeared right below Rogue and nailed him in the gut. The force of his punch lifted him off the ground and Cobra followed with a roundhouse to his face.

The two of them regained their strength. Rogue looked over at Gajeel who still a little shaken up by Michiko's earlier attack. However, he brushed it off. Once they were readied, they attacked once again. This time, they came from both directions. Meanwhile, Cobra stood there motionless. He examined their steps and waited for them to get close.

When they got within arm's reach, they both swung at his head, but he moved out of the way. Their two fists met head-on-head. Right as that happened, Cobra dropped to the ground and kicked Gajeel in the stomach and punched Rogue in the leg. Gajeel was sent flying, but Rogue was still there. He tried to recover from this attack.

"Eiryuu no Zangeki." His hand swiped at Cobra, but he was already behind him

"Too slow." He kicked him in the back and was sent towards Gajeel. Luckily, Gajeel was there before he fell even further or harder. "Hm, I was hoping this fight would be more entertaining. You two make even more noise than Natsu. It makes things much easier." They both clenched their fists.

"What about you? You're not making this interesting at all. You're not even using magic."

"Haha, you just said it. I don't want to make this fight to be too one-sided."

"You bastard." Gajeel's body lit up green and his skin was covered in metal scales. Rogue, then, entered shadow drive. "Let's do this."

"Right." Gajeel charged right at him and Rogue took to the shadows.

"Aaahhhh!"

"Such childish tactics."

"Tetsuryuukon!" His attack flew right at Cobra, but he grabbed it out of the air. Out of nowhere, Cobra's hand lit up red and Gajeel was forced to retract his hand. From behind, he heard Rogue coming right for him.

"The shadows can't hide you either. I can still hear it." He grabbed Rogue's hand before he could strike and pulled him out of the shadow. He then tossed his body into the air where he quickly followed behind. Cobra jumped right above him and kicked his body straight into the ground, causing a huge explosion to happen. Cobra quickly returned to the ground and fixed his collar. "You two are so boring. You're not even putting up a fight."

Across the way, Gajeel was gripping the hand that was grabbed by Cobra. It had a slight throbbing sensation that he couldn't make sense of. After a few more seconds, Rogue made it back onto his feet and activated Dragon Force.

"What the hell kind of magic is he using?"

"He hasn't really revealed it to us yet so we can't be sure yet."

"Haha, that's true. Never reveal your cards until you are certain for victory."

"Shut up! We're just getting started. Rogue!" Rogue suddenly faded into shadow. "Tetsuryuu no Houko!" As this happened, Rogue traveled through Gajeel's body and emerged in his breath attack, ready to retaliate.

On the other hand, Cobra saw it all. He ignited his hands in poison and slammed against the ground, creating a huge barrier to protect him from the iron. By the time his barrier was made, Gajeel's attack made it to him. The iron was quickly brushed away, leaving Rogue to take most of the blow on that defense.

"Aahhhhh!" From behind, Gajeel saw Rogue's body slightly turn red as he returned to the shadows. A few more seconds passed and Rogue reappeared next to Gajeel.

"You good?"

"Yeah, somehow, his attacks burn."

"Burn?"

"It's unlike fire like Natsu's attacks. It's somehow different. I don't know what's going on." Gajeel turned his head to face Cobra. When he did, Cobra had on a huge smile.

"I guess it's time to lay it all on the field. "I am Cobra, the Poison Dragon Slayer. If you didn't know, I'm a second generation Dragon Slayer so I'm just as powerful, if not, more powerful than both of you. I am now a part of The Trinity that has big plans for this world. If you two think you'll be able to stop us, you are mistaken. Nothing can stop us now."

"We'll see about that! Rogue, toss me into the shadows. You should understand what to do after that." Rogue gripped the back of Gajeel's jacket and readied himself for the next part of the fight.

"Hm, I can hear your plan."

"Go!" He spun Gajeel around and threw him right into the ground where there was a shadow pool waiting right for him.

"Pretty resourceful, I'll give you that, but it won't work." Out of nowhere, a shadow pool appeared right behind him. He turned slowly, but knew what was next. Immediately after that one appeared, another one popped up right below Cobra's feet. "Ha, I saw that."

"Watch this. Tetsuryuusou: Kishin!" Cobra jumped into the air and avoided his attack. However, he wasn't expecting the speed and duration of the attack. He managed to dodge most of his attacks, but one managed to cut the side of his shirt. This caused him to jump back in retreat. Right before he reached the ground, Rogue was ready to attack.

"Eiryuu no Houko!" In the corner of his eye, Cobra saw this and was ready just in the nick of time. From the outside, his whole body was engulfed in Rogue's breath attack, but when it cleared, they saw something that did not expect.

Cobra was pretty unscathed. He had his arms in front of his face with red streaks protruding from his arms. On his arms, they saw something weird. They looked as if he had lizard arms. He lowered his arms and raised his head and like always, there was that smile that never seemed to fail.

"Valiant effort, but you were too slow. Now, it's time to see the power of the Poison Dragon Slayer."

…

Back over with Natsu, things haven't quite started yet. They were knees-deep in a conversation that was taking a turn for the worst.

"What are you trying to prove?!"

"Nothing. What makes you ask such a question?"

"Shut up! It's obvious that there's more to this than just trying to beat us in a fight." She giggled.

"I'll give you that. This isn't just about winning a fight. It's more. It's something that you mere Dragon Slayers could never understand. It's all a part of a plot where we each do our thing to make sure everything else goes by smoothly."

"You bitch, what is your goal?!"

"My goal? No, our goal… His goal is control over the entire world. A world without the hassle of Dragon Slayers." Natsu and Sting looked at each other and knew what was going down. They readied themselves for the fight of their lives.

…

Back with Gajeel and Rogue, things weren't going to well. Every time they tried to get close, Cobra would show them his expertise in hand-to-hand combat and crush them with his poison attacks. However, there was still time so he didn't resort to any of his deadly attacks. Now, the two of them were on the ground, reaching the point where most of their body was starting to get numb, but they couldn't stop. They had to keep going. They had to keep fighting.

"So are you two still willing to fight, or should I end this now?"

"Can it! It's not over until your head is in the ground." Cobra smiled.

"Haha, I like the sound of that. Bring it!" The two of them slowly rose back onto their feet. Their legs were definitely the numbest parts of their bodies, but they had to keep fighting. With all of the strength that they could muster, they raised their head and stared down Cobra with eyes ready to do what they had to do. Gajeel turned his head and looked Rogue who was already looking at him.

"You ready for another round?"

"Are you?"

"Gehe!" They turned back around, ready to fight on.

"It's time to end this, Dragon Slayers."

End of Chapter 8

**Ending Note: **I hope that wasn't too hard to read. I know that I promised to return to the normal length, but it's definitely a struggle to make this fight scenes believable without seeming repetitive. I hope you guys liked it and don't worry, there's still more to come.


	40. LS Chapter 9

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 9

A Strike for Victory

"Let's go!" The two of them charged Cobra with everything they had. Cobra couldn't help, but snicker to himself.

"You have got to joking. You two never learn." As he saw them near, they were still side-by-side which made things easier for him. "Dokuryuu Souga!" He swiped his arms upwards and multiple streaks of poison headed right for them. Rogue retreated to the shadows, but Gajeel was unable to react in time and took the full heap of the attack.

Cobra quickly turned around and waited for Rogue's attack. Even though he was in the shadows, he could still hear him. From behind, Rogue appeared and executed his attack.

"Eiryuu no Kagizume!"

"Dokuryuu Totsuga!" Incredibly, their two attacks met head-on and clashed. At first, it seemed like nothing would happen, but eventually this clash caused a huge explosion, sending them both in opposite directions. However, Cobra was barely scathed. On the other hand, Rogue was hit hard. Cobra's attack really numbed Rogue's foot. It was a struggle to return to his feet, but he was eventually able to.

"We gotta come up with something. We're not getting anywhere with this guy."

"That's true. Nothing will work."

"You're wrong! Our attack managed to touch you so that proves you're not invincible. Everyone has a weakness and we'll soon discover yours."

"Haha, I wish you good luck with that."

The two of them stood there, struggling to stand while Cobra was perfectly fine. That scratch from early seemed as if it was never even there. Now, both of them were battered up pretty bad. That attack on Gajeel really made it equal between the two of them. All that was left to do was figure out a way to get to through this guy. Every time something seemed like a good idea, it was quickly brushed aside by Cobra.

"So, are you two gonna stand there or are you gonna attack?" Gajeel gritted his teeth as Rogue turned to shadows. However, Cobra knew that he didn't have an offensive intention so he decided to let it pass. After a few seconds, Rogue reappeared on the opposite side of Gajeel. Cobra got a good look at where he was and where the other two were and couldn't help but laugh. "You two must be joking."

"Tetsuryuu no Houko!"

"Eiryuu no Houko!" Their two breath attacks aimed right at Cobra, but he knew this before it even happened. He jumped into the air as the two breaths crashed together and exploded on contact.

"Stupid. Simply stupid. Dokuryuu no Houko!" The two of them emerged from the smoke, but were already too late. They saw him charge him up his breath attack. They did their best to defend against it, but it them dead-on.

The force of his breath sent them flying back to the ground. Cobra fell right on top of them and smashed their heads further into the ground. With his hands still engulfed in poison, he gripped both of their heads, smashed them together, and threw them away from his sight.

Their bodies rolled around on the ground until they finally came to a halt, quite a distance away from Cobra. This time, they were unable to get up. They were still breathing, but they couldn't move. His breath attack completely numbed their entire body. It was both a strong and effective attack that they weren't prepared for. Cobra examined their bodies and knew that they weren't getting up for a while.

"Pathetic how you even call yourselves Dragon Slayers. You were defeated so easily and now, you get to watch your world fall under the power of…" Suddenly, Gajeel and Rogue rose back onto their feet with their backs crouched, barely able to look up at him. "So, you still have some fight left in you? I guess this time I won't hold back." He smiled and readied to counterattack when suddenly, the unthinkable happened.

Gajeel's body started to light up once again. It turned into hard scales again, but this time, it was different. This time, he turned into the Iron Shadow Dragon. Now, the two of them retreated into the shadows.

"What?! That's impossible. Two attributes?" He looked around hesitantly, completely disregarding his ears. In the nick of time, he heard someone right behind him. "Dokuryuu Ringa!" Multiple shots of poison shards were fired at the shadow. It took form, but the shards at no effect. When the figure appeared in its complete form, Gajeel was the one who was there.

"You chose wrong." Cobra widened his eyes for their plan was already in motion. He didn't even hear it coming. The other shadow found its way onto Cobra's body. Cobra quickly tried to rub off the shadow, but it was no use. The shadow slowly surrounded him until there was no part left untouched. In the blink of an eye, Rogue reappeared right in front of Cobra.

"Eiryuu no Renjakusen." The shadow marks disappeared from Cobra's body, but hit with a punch. His body was sent flying into the air, completely immobilized. He looked below him and saw something else happening. Unfortunately for him, it was too late. He simply closed his eyes and prepared to meet his defeat.

"Tetsueiryuu no Houko!" His double breath attack was shot into the air and met Cobra head-on. At first, nothing happened, but the combination of iron and shadow took over.

"Aaaarrghh!" Rogue watched as the silhouette of Cobra's body quickly be engulfed by Gajeel's attack. Once the light vanished, they watched as his body fall back to the earth. His body impacted the ground at great force. Once they saw him lying there, they decided to do one last thing. They jumped into the air, soaring right above him.

"Tetsueiryuu no Houko!"

"Eiryuu no Houko!" Their two breaths aimed right at him and connected right where his body was. Right on impact, there was a huge explosion that sent debris flying in all different directions. They returned to the ground when the dust and other things finally cleared the area. They walked over to him and saw that he was defeated. However, there was still a faint breathing coming from him. "So what should we do with him now?"

"Even though we know of his plans, it's not right to kill him. We should return him to the Rune Knights."

"Alright, I'll go. It'll be much faster if I go by shadows."

"Okay, just try to be fast. I get the feeling that things aren't settled yet." Rogue slowly walked over to Cobra's body and swallowed him into the shadows. Gajeel watched as the shadow ventured off into the distance. "Something doesn't seem right about this."

…

Natsu and Sting were fighting with everything they had, but nothing seemed to be working. They were unable to even scratch Michiko once. It seemed as if she was untouchable. They hit her with quick attacks, normal attacks, and powerful finishers, but nothing worked. She had them on the ropes and she intended to keep it this way.

"You should just give up now and make things easier on yourselves."

"Shut up! This is a fight that we'll fight till the end." They clenched their fists and leapt right at her. She opened her eyes to see them flying in her direction. She slowly stuck up her hands which were engulfed in black magic. Out of nowhere, they were swallowed up the blackness and reemerged back where they started, still in mid-swing, causing each other to land a solid punch on the other and send them flying the other way.

"Haha, you two can manage to entertain me for as long as you like. Nothing's gonna change the situation."

"We'll see," Natsu said as he returned to his feet and spat out blood.

…

"Prepare to face your greatest enemy." Umiko stepped onto the beach and Laxus threw off his coat. On the other hand, Wendy was still in shock. She managed to defeat him once, but having to fight him again, without Natsu, was going to be a challenge. "Don't think that victory against me means anything. The legend of the Sky Dragon will end here."

"Enough!" Laxus electrified his hand and punched it right at Umiko. In the blink of an eye, Umiko stuck up his arms and a wall of water blocked the attack. Once that was over, he quickly brushed it away and continued to walk towards Wendy. However, he immediately stopped to see Laxus step in front of Wendy.

"If you want her, you'll have to go through me."

"Laxus?"

"Don't worry Wendy, I'm here for you."

"Hm, you're just in the way so I guess I'll have to get rid of you first." Umiko slowly brought up his right hand. "King of the Sea, grant me the power to overcome my enemies that stand before me. With my right hand, it serves as the hand of destruction. With my left hand, it serves as the creation of new life. A life where the Sky Dragon no longer exists." Laxus electrified his body and stood his ground. Across the way, Umiko's body was being swirled with water until they couldn't see him anymore.

"Let's go Wendy!"

"Aye!"

End of Chapter 9


	41. LS Chapter 10

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 10

The Showdown

**Note: **I hope you're all enjoying this arc. If you haven't noticed by now, this is a continuation of _Into the Flaming Skies_, the first I wrote. If you didn't read that one, I would suggest going back and familiarizing yourself with it. Anyway, keep on reading and I hope you enjoy.

"Let's go!" Right then and there, Umiko stuck up his arms and a ball of water surrounded Laxus. In the blink of an eye, Laxus broke through the water with his lightning and continued to charge Umiko. However, Umiko continued to attack. Using the water that erupted from his previous attack, he instructed the particles to shoot right at Wendy. They came quickly and the only thing Wendy could do was put up a wind wall to protect from the attack. The shield provided some support, but the water particles exploded on contact and sent her sliding back a few feet.

"Argh!"

"Wendy! Rairyuu no Houken!"

"Umiryuu no Uzu." A snake-like figure emerged from the water and came right in front of Umiko. Laxus' attacks was swallowed up by the water and was dispersed by Umiko in an instant.

"That's impossible. Lightning outclasses water in every way."

"You've done your reading, Dragon Slayer. That it true, but those laws don't account for Dragon Slayers. The brute force and power are what outclasses other Dragon Slayers. Now, step aside."

"This is Fairy Tail versus you. Don't think I'm gonna hand one of my comrades over to you so easily."

"Hmph, I didn't want things to come to this, but you leave me no choice." The skies grew dark and even the wind started to pick up. Wendy looked up and saw swirls in the sky. She couldn't believe it. She wasn't doing this. How could he be doing this when she controlled the skies? The sands of the beach were picked up by the heavy winds causing the two of them to cover their faces from the flying debris. "Umiryuu Dai Konran!"

Raining down from the skies were multiple tornadoes of water. One by one, they struck the ground and caused the two of them to evade everything as best they could. Regaining her stance, she jumped into the sky to try and stop this chaos.

"Tenryuu no Yokugeki!" Her winds thrashed the maelstrom in the sky, but it didn't do anything. The wind strikes just hit the tornadoes and flew right back at her, sending her back to the ground. Laxus watched as she tried to come up with a counterattack and saw that it failed.

"Rairyuu no Houko!" He aimed his head right at Umiko and fired. However, a tornado struck down right in front of him, blocking his breath attack. Also, another one came down right on Laxus, whipping his body around and around until the storm finally subsided. The tornado threw his body to the side and it crashed hard into the sand where Wendy ran to his aid.

"Laxus-san, are you alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. We need to lay it on this guy."

"I don't know. He's much stronger than how I remember him to be." Wendy looked at him and he was staring right at her with the look of death in his eye. She slowly stepped back, but Laxus was there to stop her retreat.

"You got stronger too. We all did because we're Fairy Tail. We fight together until the very end, showing our enemies that they've made a huge mistake trying to pick a fight with us. You ready?" She looked at him and he was eyeing Umiko with the same look.

"Hm."

"You'll find your strength when you need to. Right now, we need to find this guy's weakness. Apparently, my lightning ain't doing crap against him."

As the three of them continued their stare down, Wendy tried to remember the things she read in that book from before. However, the only thing that came to mind was that the Sky Dragon was the Umiko's only worthy opponent. She tried to think harder, but it didn't seem to work. Everything that worked against him last time would probably not work this time. He was definitely smarter and stronger. But then again, so was she and Laxus. She had to show him that the skies were greater than the seas.

Out of nowhere, Laxus' body began to be struck by lightning. The light shined through everyone's eyes. Umiko watched, but wasn't surprised. Wendy, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. She looked at him and saw that his body grew massive in size as the lightning continued to engulf his body. After a few more seconds, the lightning finally stopped and Laxus stood there much taller and much larger.

"Laxus-san?"

"This is my true Dragon Slayer form. Let's do our best, yeah?"

"Alright."

"Are you two just gonna stand there or should I end this now?"

"Try it. We dare you to." Umiko gave them a little smirk as his body turned to water. They watched him slip into the ocean.

"We need to be careful. You never know where's gonna turn up in this form."

"Got it." The two of them stood back-to-back and scanned the area. The ocean was still and everything else was quiet. They didn't know where he was or what he was going to do so the best thing they could do was fortify their defenses during this time.

As they listened for something, they felt a small tremor in the ground. Then suddenly, a huge column of water shot up from the ground. The two of them felt it beneath their feet and dove out of the way. Another column shot out from where Wendy landed which caused her to dive again. This happened with Laxus too. Again and again, his attack kept them moving until they were too slow to keep up. The two of them were launched into the air by the water. However, the water felt sharp and stung on contact.

When they crashed into the ground, they saw Umiko retake form, still looking at her with that look. The two of them were surprised by the strength of that attack. Although it was just water, it definitely felt different from water.

"You two should both know that you can control your element to your own will. For me, I can choose to make it harder and stronger as you just experienced in that attack. Shall I end this now or will you choose to suffer the wrath of the Sea Dragon?" Laxus slowly returned to his feet, still in his Dragon Slayer form.

"If you won't fight me, then I'll fight you." From above, lightning strikes started to plummet with the ground. Umiko bobbed weaved through the strikes, remaining untouched.

"Is that all you got?" He looked at Laxus, but saw that he wasn't there. He looked around frantically until it was too late.

"Rairyuu no Agito!" Form above, Laxus clapped his hands together and two clouds of electricity engulfed Umiko, cutting him off from his power. He then flew down to him and brought his fists down on his body. This caused an explosion and Laxus jumped back to his starting point.

When he looked up, the smoke was still filling the area so it took him awhile before he finally saw Umiko's body. He could see the Umiko's silhouette through the smoke and saw that he was forced to his knees by that attack. A smile emerged from Laxus' face. All he needed was an opening.

Umiko slowly returned to his feet and brushed off his shoulders as he exited the smoke. Laxus saw that his body was slightly charred by his attack.

"Impressive. It's been awhile since someone's landed a blow upon me, but I'm saddened to say that that'll be the last." Laxus looked back at Wendy who was finally returning to her feet.

"Don't rush yourself." She looked up and saw Laxus in a good shape. "Attack when the time comes." With that, he charged Umiko again and this time, he was ready for him.

"Umiryuu no Tsunami!"

"Argh!" Laxus lit up his body and met Umiko's wave head-on. The powers collided until one was finally pushed back. It was Laxus, but he didn't break. He continued to fly around the sky, throwing off Umiko's aim. Left to right, Laxus flew in an unpredictable pattern until it worked.

"Argh!" He kicked him from behind and lightning sent him flying away from him. Umiko rolled around on the ground before he returned to his feet and retaliated. "Umiryuu no Saikuron!" He aimed his arms right at Laxus. From behind, a huge blast of water shot at Laxus. Using his speed, he was able to avoid the attack and return a counter.

"Rairyuu no Houken!" The lightning strike flew right at him as he melted into the water. The huge lightning strike hit the water and somehow kicked Umiko out from it. Now, his body was flailing through the air, uncontrollably. Laxus saw this abnormal behavior and knew that this was what he was waiting for. He returned to the ground and readied another attack. "Rairyuu Houtengeki!"

Boom! His attack hit him right on target, sending him further into the air. Out of nowhere, Umiko spotted Wendy in the corner of his eye.

"Tenryuu no Yokugeki!" She thrashed his body through the air, keeping him unable to move or attack. From below, Laxus was ready for another attack. Under his feet was a huge magic circle from where he pushed off and flew into the sky, meeting Umiko head-on.

"Narumikazuchi!" His fist met Umiko's face and electrocuted him with such power. He then looked up and saw Wendy preparing another attack.

"Metsuryu Ougi! Shouha Tenkusen!" A bright light and heavy wind storm aimed right at Umiko until it finally met him head-on.

"Rairyuu no Houko!" Together, the power of wind and lightning merged together and exploded in the sky. Wendy returned to the ground right next to Laxus as the two of them continued to look up at the sky. It took a few seconds to finally see their fallen enemy exit the smoke and crash into the ground.

"Did we do it?"

"Come on." The two of the walked to the crater where Umiko's body made. They slid down to his body and saw that his body was smoking and his eyes were closed. "How's that for a Dragon Slayer?"

"The combination of sky and lightning… Air superiority. I enjoyed that." Suddenly, his body started to disappear, his particles floated up into the sky until there was nothing left of him.

"It's over." Out of nowhere, Wendy hugged him around the waist.

"Thank you, Laxus-san."

"You are strong Wendy. You need to remember that. Dragon Slayers can't be thought down upon." He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her body as he returned to his normal state.

End of Chapter 10


	42. LS Chapter 11

Legends of the Sky

Chapter 11

Zeref's Dragon Slayer

Natsu and Sting were staring down Michiko in that black arena. Nothing made sense to them, but they did know that she had divine power compared to them. Now that they know that she's a creation of Zeref, they had to get serious. They attacked her head-on, but nothing worked. They combined forces and attacked separately, but it ended in the same results.

"I always thought Dragon Slayers were supposed to be the strongest beings in this world, but after watching you two, that thought is easily disregarded."

"Shut up! We're defeat you and you'll regret those words."

"Hm, I'm waiting, Dragon Slayers." Natsu jumped into the air, soaring right over her.

"Karyuu no Koen!" He threw down his flame right on top of her, but a black hole emerged right above her. The fire was engulfed by the black hole and reappeared right next to Sting. Luckily, he was fast enough to avoid the attack. "Don't get too high on yourself. Karyuu no Kagizume!" He brought his foot down to her, but was met by a black barrier. He looked at Michiko and saw his attack shoot out from behind her. He gritted his teeth and retreated.

"Hakuryuu no Houko!" Sting's breath shot right at Michiko. She stuck up her hand and a small black barrier emerged from her hand, blocking the laser. "What kind of magic is this?"

"I don't know."

"First generation Dragon Slayers possess the raw elements of this world, giving them the power to overcome nearly any obstacle. Second generations possess the powers deemed unworthy of a true dragon. Third generations have revamped power of true dragons. My generation is purely a creation, making me invincible. You two don't stand a chance."

Out of nowhere, a black circle was right under their feet which caused them to fall into it. After a few seconds, the circle spit them back out. The two of them crashed into the ground, completely battered. They struggled to return to their feet, but it was definitely a fight. Something about her magic was different than anything they've ever seen.

"The White Dragon Slayer magic is considered holy attribute. Black Dragon Slayer magic works the same way. Anything that can succumb to darkness becomes my field of use. You two are at a disadvantage." Two circles appeared right above them and shot cannon fire right at them, sending them flying back a few more feet. "Now, follow along with my plan and surrender yourself to my power.

All of a sudden, a huge cloud of black magic appeared right above them. Natsu and Sting tried to get back on their feet, but her previous attack really hit them hard. The cloud descended until it finally engulfed their entire bodies. The cloud got darker and darker until it became pure black.

"Fall, Dragon Slayers!" She raised her hands in the air and looked up. "Zeref, your will is my command." As she started her ritual, a small light came from across the way. She lowered her arms and found where the light was coming from. It was coming from her black cloud. "Hm, so you're more than that, huh?" A huge white light burst from the cloud as Natsu and Sting flew out at soaring speeds.

"Nothing is ever too powerful. We're stopping you right here. Karyuu no Houko!"

"Hakuryuu no Houko!" Their two breaths converged on Michiko where she changed things up. She jumped off of her pedestal and allowed their attacks to clash, creating a huge explosion that lit up the area around them.

"Kokuryuu no Yami." Out from her hand released a huge wall of black that headed right for them. Natsu was quick enough to jump out of the way while Sting lit up his body and flew right through it, completely unscathed. She saw the two of them separate and took a step back. "Kokuryuu no Ayumu." Once the words left her mouth, endless amounts of the black circles occupied the area. In that same instant, they started to shoot dozens of black rounds in every direction. Natsu and Sting did their best to avoid the attack, but was immediately shot down. Her attack came quickly and painfully.

"Argh!" The black magic hit them dead-on and sent them flying into the ground. However, it wasn't an explosion. It was almost like an absorption. The black rounds hit their body, attached to the place they made contact with, and then forced the victim to go flying in the opposite direction.

"What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea. That didn't even hurt." They looked up at Michiko who was walking towards them. She slowly brought up her arm and clenched her fist. Right then and there, explosions came from Natsu and Sting's body.

"The mark of the Black Dragon allows me control of its victims for a short amount of time. You just experienced the first of many crucible attacks against my enemies. Now, shall we resume?" They looked up and gritted their teeth. She was definitely cocky, but there was nothing they could do. It seemed as if none of their attacks were working. "Zeref is the lord of this world. Nothing can or will ever defeat him. He is absolute." Somehow, this triggered something in the two of them. They slowly returned to their feet.

"Just wait and see, you'll be his first failure. Fairy Tail doesn't give up so lightly." Michiko smiled.

"I do enjoy your fighting spirit. Entertainment me some more, Dragon Slayers."

…

After some time, Rogue found his way back to Gajeel who was walking aimlessly away from the battlefield with the intention of returning to where they were. He was hoping that when he got back, he could meet up with that other chick and lay it on her.

As the two of them walked, they checked their surroundings, but nothing looked familiar. The landscape looked fake in a way. It was almost as if it was someone's creation. However, they tried not to think about it too much. They just stayed strong and kept on walking.

On the other hand, Wendy and Laxus left the beach and found the mountain range once again. They ascended the peak until they finally made it back to the top. When they got there, they saw that they were the only ones. They yelled for everyone else, but there was no response. The fog had returned which made things a lot more difficult to see.

"Laxus-san, what is going on?"

"I don't know. It's something accumulative since we were all separated. We defeated our enemy so that means the other four a handful to deal with."

"Do you think Natsu-san is alright?"

"He's just fine. Natsu's perfectly fine. I'm sure we'll see him soon." The two of them decided to take a little break and lounged around, hoping something would happen. After a couple of hours, they heard some noises coming from the bottom of the trail up to the peak.

"Natsu-san?!" Wendy stood up and ran to where the sound came from. She immediately bumped into Gajeel and Rogue and was immediately saddened.

"So you made it back too?"

"Hm, Laxus-san is here too." They all met up in the middle of the mountain peak, trying to clarify what was going on, but nothing made sense to them. Each group explained their situation, telling the small details about their enemy's plans. Unfortunately, they weren't given much so their puzzle was still jumbled. They couldn't make anything out of what they had so they were forced to wait for Natsu and Sting.

"Any word from Sting or Salamander?"

"Nothing. Wendy and I haven't even been for that long."

"Hm, you two faced Umiko. Gajeel and I fought Cobra so that means that they are fighting Michiko. I hope they're alright."

"What are you talking about? Salamander would never lose to someone like that."

"I don't know. Her magic wasn't really made clear to us and Natsu can only defeat someone he truly understands. That'll definitely make things difficult for him." Laxus' words put everyone into their thoughts. What was her magic? Could they defeat her?

…

"Let's go Sting!"

"Ah." The two lit their bodies up and flew right at Michiko. They decided to separate giving them the advantage. By now, they had a better understanding of what her magic was and how it worked. However, they still had to be vigilant since her magic was powerful and unpredictable.

"Repetition won't work in this situation. Kokuryuu no Tsume." She swiped her arm at Natsu and then around to Sting, but they managed avoid her slashes.

"Holy Ray!" Multiple shots of white magic flew right at her. She saw the bright light and quickly evaded the attack, but ran right into the Natsu.

"Karyuu no Tekken!" His fist aimed right at her, but phased right through her body. She smiled to herself, but saw that Natsu smiled too. "Karyuu no Enchu!" His elbow flew back at her, landing a good blow on her back. The force of his elbow sent her lunging forward where Sting was right there to intercept her.

"How about this? Hakuryuu no Tsume!" His hand slapped against her stomach and she let out a huge gasp. At the same time, the black world they were in started to glitch until it finally disappeared.

"Natsu-san!" He turned around and saw everyone else standing where they first met up.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

"We were waiting for you. And now that you're here, we can end this." Everyone looked over at Michiko who still had Sting's mark on her stomach. She bowed her head as they marked dissipated into blackness.

"Impressive that you were able to land such a critical blow in the time you were given. However, this works out more for me. It appears that Umiko and Cobra have failed. Now, the rest of the plan falls upon me… And I will not fail." Her body started to glow black. "This is the end for you, Dragon Slayers."

"Like hell it will."

Immediately, everyone engulfed their bodies in their element and stared down Michiko, preparing for, what will be, the fight of their lives.

End of Chapter 11

**Ending Note: **There will be no update tomorrow due to it being Super Bowl Sunday. I'm sorry if this disappoints anyone, but I need a break every once in a while so that day will be my one day break. Don't worry, the story will continue on its normal schedule after that. I hope you're all enjoying this arc.


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